The Story of an Outcast
by Shidyk D. Shade
Summary: There are people who have been thrown from their homes, people who are born without choice, and those who chose to leave. This is their story, the story of a small group of outcasts. Rated M for language. Pairings: NaruxHina, OCxHarem, etc. ON HIATUS...
1. Chapter 1: Enter Uzumaki and Ienari

**Disclaimer**: I do not, in any way or form, own any of the Naruto characters. However, I do own all made up characters of this AU.

**Bold- Biju/Yōkai talking **

_**Bold and Italic- Biju/ Yōkai thinking **_

_Italic- someone thinking/ Flashback _

_Italic and Underline- Time/location shift _

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_**Bold and Italic and Underline- Translations, Title, or Narration **_

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_**Chapter 1: A Fated Meeting – Enter Uzumaki Naruto and Ienari Josuke! **_

_**What does it mean to be an outcast? What is so scary about being alone, with no one around? Is it total quiet one is given by his peers and his elders? Or is it the fact that no one can give the person what they crave for the most: Love? Whatever the answer, there is one sure fact among those who are outcasts: though they are outcasts, there are others like them... **_

The young boy sat on the swing watching some clouds pass by with a look of mild intrigue on his face. He was average height for his seven years, and wore a simple shirt and shorts. He let his hand passed through his short, brown messy hair and let out a sigh as he watched the clouds go by. The one thing that was odd with this boy was his eyes: both were grey in color and lacked the pupils that many had. Some would consider him blind because of this; however, the boy could see perfectly and was for the most part normal. Beside the swing, resting on the tree was a small bag that seemed to contain something metallic.

The boy's name was Josuke and he, like many of the children in Konoha, was an orphan from when the Kyuubi no Kitsune had attacked Konoha and killed the shinobi who had gone to fight the Yōkai. Not that it matter, for he had never really known about his parents as they had abandoned him a few years ago. He had been left with nothing except a pair of metal gauntlets that he kept in a small pack with him at all times. Though they were too big for now, Josuke knew that one day he would be wielding the gauntlets in order to fight and protect those he cared for.

Josuke sighed as he picked up the bag where his gauntlets were and began to walk back into the orphanage, wondering if he could steal some sweets before eating the dinner that they served. As he made it halfway towards the building, he noticed someone passing by. After a second, he recognized the man as a Hyuga for the white/lavender tinted eyes that lacked pupils and the robes he wore. Something deep inside of Josuke made him stay and watch as the Hyuga went about his business, ignoring the little boy altogether. As he took a look at the orphanage, the Hyuga noticed Josuke for the first time and gasped at seeing his eyes.

Josuke wondered if there was something wrong, and a small part actually was hoping that he would be adopted by the man. He checked behind him to see if it was him that the Hyuga was staring, and seeing that there was nobody else, he turned only to see the Hyuga in front of him, the Byakugan ablaze with what Josuke recognized as anger. Josuke couldn't move his legs out of fear and surprise as he watched as though in slow motion the hand that would kill him coming down at his head.

Just as the hand was about to touch him, a powerful force suddenly erupted around the Hyuga and him, freezing them in place. The air itself seemed to have been filled with a dark killing intent, and the Hyuga knew somehow that the person behind the killing intent was at least Sannin level, if not Hokage. Josuke looked ready to die as the pressure intensified, and he wondered for a moment if this was a technique of the Hyuga before they killed their enemies.

That was when the force suddenly disappeared, and both the Hyuga and Josuke fell to the floor shuddering at how intense the power had been. The Hyuga looked around, wondering who had such power that their very presence alone could freeze him in place. That was when he noticed someone in a dark cloak walking towards him and the boy from the gate he had entered. As he approached, the Hyuga could see that the person was a man around thirty or forty, and was wearing a pair of dark glasses that hid his eyes. He also noticed something weird: although there was no wind, the man's cloak and his shoulder-length, brown hair were waving as though there was some wind coming from where the Hyuga and Josuke laid.

The man stopped a few feet away from the pair and asked in a calm voice, "What do you think you're doing?"

The Hyuga stood there watching the cloaked man, whom sighed and asked, "I will ask you one more time, what do you think you're doing?"

The Hyuga stood up and reactivated his Byakugan, a look of determination upon his face. The cloaked man gave a small smirk and chuckle as he asked, "So you think that the Jūken will stop me? Need I remind you about the killing intent that you felt earlier?"

Suddenly the pressure from earlier on came back, but this time it was all directed at the Hyuga, who began to convulse from the sheer pressure. Josuke watched in both horror and amazement as the Hyuga began to choke and gasp as he fell to his knees before becoming unconscious from the pressure. The cloaked man gave a sigh as he grabbed the Hyuga by the hair, and dragged him into the small grove of trees that the orphanage had near the playground. He then threw the Hyuga right at one of trees and walked back towards Josuke, who was still stunned at how powerful the man was.

The cloaked man knelt down to Josuke's eye level, and asked, "Are you alright?"

Josuke nodded his head vigorously, earning him a small chuckle from the man, who stood up and pointed to the gate of the orphanage, "Go."

Josuke stood there for a moment, not comprehending what the man meant. His "savior" frowned a little as he replied, "I don't like repeating myself over and over again. Go to the forest and stay there until things have calmed down."

Josuke decided to follow the cloaked man's command, and began to head out of the orphanage's ground. Before he exited, Josuke turned and asked the man, "Excuse me, sir, but who are you?"

The cloaked man looked at Josuke, as though he was wondering if he was worth telling his name, and after seeing Josuke still standing there, he answered, "Ienari…Ienari Kenji."

Josuke looked at the man for a one more moment before he ran out the gate and began to head to the forest that outlined Konoha's gates. Kenji smiled for a moment as he thought to himself, _Grow, Josuke…grow and become someone who can truly bear their name without dishonor and humiliation. Grow into a shinobi who will give his life in order to protect the people he loves. Grow until you have the power to confront me and reveal the truth about your past…_

With these thoughts in his mind, the cloaked man called Ienari Kenji disappeared before he was noticed by an ANBU whom was passing by.

_Two weeks later; at one of the streets of Konoha…_

The young blonde boy ran as fast as his legs would carry him, trying to outrun the mob that had somehow appeared when he had left the Ichiraku Ramen Bar for the day. He didn't understand why they were attacking him as he had done no pranks that day, and why they wanted to hurt him so badly each and every day. Most of the time he was lucky and he could get away from them, but some of the time he was beaten to a hair of his life. At those times, he would head towards the Konoha hospital, where further torture would accompany his healing. Thankfully, he was able to heal quickly enough, and only stay there for the afternoon before he headed towards the apartment that he was supposed to call home.

In truth, Naruto only kept a mask of being another happy child, when he was really crying his heart out for anyone at all to acknowledge him and to love him. Ever since he left the orphanage a few months ago, the villagers' attacks had been intensifying and Naruto had had to be on constant alert in order to dodge the punishment he received nearly every week. The constant beatings, the hateful glares, and the constant cursing from the more drunken men made Naruto wonder constantly why he was always being beaten for what seemed no apparent reason. The only reason that he could think off was that his parents, whoever they were, had done something bad and the only one left to take the blame had to be him.

As Naruto rounded a corner, he slammed into something very hard that knocked him down into the floor. Looking up he was greeted by the sight of a man around thirty or forty in a dark cloak, looking at him from behind his dark sunglasses. Just then both noticed the crowd around them, and Naruto knew that he was about to earn another trip to the hospital.

"Good job cornering that demon!" one of the leaders told the man as he brandished a large wooden stick, "We'll take it from here!"

However, before the man could even step forward, the cloaked man slammed his fist into his face and sent him and a few behind him reeling backwards. After cracking the bones in his hand, he replied in a calm voice, "You should watch your tongue…there's a child here after all."

Many of the mob had been amazed at how quickly the man had hit the guy, but their anger had risen when he had defended Naruto. Naruto not knowing what was going on and seeing no way out, did the only thing that was possible and grabbed the man's cloak trying to stay as close as he could to him. The crowd charged at the pair, only to freeze when the man began to radiate enough killing intent that to the mind of the mob it seemed that several evil spirits had risen from the man's body. Naruto almost let go of the man, but held on thinking that if he did, the man would disappear and then he would be left defenseless.

The cloaked man then grabbed Naruto by his shirt and lifted him onto his shoulder. Naruto then clung to the man's head, not wanting to fall or let go still. The mob then watched as Naruto and the cloaked man disappeared from sight and the killing intent suddenly disappeared. They looked around, and seeing that Naruto and the cloaked man were gone, decided to get Naruto the next time they saw him.

Both the cloaked man and Naruto watched as the crowd began to separate and once they were all gone, the cloaked man set Naruto down on top of the roof. Naruto looked up at the man, and after gathering his courage, replied, "T-thanks for saving me…"

The cloaked man looked at the Hokage Monument for a moment before he answered, "You're welcome."

They both were in silence for a while before Naruto asked, "Umm…who are you? You don't look like ANBU-chan."

The cloaked man raised an eyebrow as he asked, "ANBU-chan?"

Naruto nodded as he explained, "Yeah, ANBU-chan always watches me in case someone tries to beat me up or goes to Hokage-jii-san whenever I do get beat up."

The cloaked man looked thoughtful for a moment before he stated, "My name is Ienari Kenji, and I'm a friend of ANBU-chan and the Hokage."

Naruto smiled as he held out his hand and exclaimed, "My name's Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the next Hokage!"

Kenji let out a rare chuckle as he shook hands with the small boy. He then grew serious as he told Naruto, "Naruto, I have a favor to ask of you…"

Naruto listened aptly as Kenji continued, "I need you to go into the forest near the eastern gate of Konoha. Somewhere in that forest is a boy two years your elder that I want back here in Konoha. He will need the help of you, ANBU-chan, and the Hokage in order to grow strong enough to protect himself and others," he then looked thoughtful for a moment before he added, "And he may be the only person who will understand your predicament."

Naruto looked confused at the last statement, but since he had been saved by Kenji, he decided not to question his favor. Naruto nodded and answered, "Okay, I'll look for him," he then realized something he almost forgot to ask, "Umm…Ienari-san? What's the boy's name?" 

Kenji then took Naruto off the roof of the building they had been standing on, and landed right where he had saved the boy. As he began to leave the boy, he answered Naruto's question, "His name is Josuke. Ienari Josuke."

Naruto was about to ask if this Josuke was Kenji's son when he saw him disappear from sight. Naruto would've shouted his name, but wanting to be safe for a while longer, decided against it and ran towards the east gate.

From his vantage point on the roof, Ienari Kenji smiled to himself, _Naruto…you're exactly Josuke. You have a good soul and a curse that no one should bear. I hope that when Josuke grows, he will help you grow. It will be interesting if you both become strong enough to see to your destinies…_

With this thought, Ienari Kenji began to walk over to the Hokage's Tower, where he knew the Sandaime Hokage would be to make the necessary arrangements.

_Forest__ near the Eastern Gate; an hour later…_

Naruto looked around the trees that surrounded him, and wondered where he would find the boy called Ienari Josuke. The forest was gigantic and there were several places where a kid could hide if they knew how to do so. He had been looking around for nearly thirty minutes, and felt that he was going around in circles. Naruto sighed to himself as he sat down and began to think where Josuke could be hiding that no one except a child his age would hide in.

_Hmmm…well it can't be up a tree 'cause most people in Konoha are ninjas and they travel above the trees. It can't be anywhere near the ground either 'cause they could use a dog or something to track someone. This is pretty hard…_

Naruto's face lit up as he remembered the one place no adult would go to because of how big the entrance was. He rushed through the forest, and began listening for the sound of a nearby waterfall that he knew the forest was closed to. After finding the sound, he rushed through the forest at a greater speed, finally exiting to a river and a waterfall. Naruto headed towards the waterfall, and went behind the falling water where a small hole was hidden. He ducked inside, entered the hole, and looked around in amazement as to what was hidden inside.

The small cave had not only been cleaned, but there were now carpets lying around as well as a few candles lighting it. Hanging from the walls were some carcasses of animals that had been hunted by someone, as well as the spear that must've been used to hunt the animals. As Naruto continued to look around the cave, he didn't notice someone behind him until he felt the tip of something sharp at the back of his neck.

Naruto stood absolutely still as a voice asked, "Who are you? What are you doing in here?"

Naruto's eyes looked back without turning his head, and answered, "M-my name is Uzumaki Naruto. I-I was told by someone called Ienari Kenji to look for you!"

Naruto felt the tip of whatever was touching him disappear and he was able to turn around to see Josuke. He was surprised to see someone a little taller than himself holding another make shift spear, and looking quite dirty and tired. The clothes on him were covered in both stains and dirt; his gray eyes were now sizing up Naruto.

Josuke decided to test the grounds as he demanded, "Okay then, if you were sent by Ienari-sama, and then tell me how he looks and maybe I'll believe you."

Naruto then described the man he had seen merely an hour ago, and through Josuke's surprised face, he could tell that Josuke had met the man in person as well. After Naruto described the man, Josuke asked, "Why were you sent here though? I mean I don't really know you and I would've remembered someone like you…"

Naruto replied, "Well…Ienari-jii-san said that we were a lot alike…"

Josuke looked thoughtful before he asked, "I really don't see how we're alike…unless you've been attacked by someone or you don't have parents…"

Naruto's eyes widened as he whispered, "You mean…you ran here because people were trying to hurt you too _and_ you don't have a mom or dad…?"

Suddenly both boys began to talk about their lives, and were amazed at how similar they were to the other. Naruto had no parents; he had no idea as to who they were, why everyone hated him, and why he was always called a demon. Josuke, on the other hand, talked about how people always looked at him as though he was a freak, how he was always overlooked by the families that had come to the orphanage, and lastly, the failed attack of the Hyuga clan member.

Both boys continued talking for a while longer; somewhat happy knowing that there was someone like them here. Soon Josuke and Naruto noticed the sunlight began to wane, and Naruto knew that the gates would be closing soon. He looked at Josuke and asked, "Josuke-nii-san, are you going to come back to Konoha?"

Josuke looked thoughtful but smiled as he answered, "If Ienari-sama gave me his name and wants me to prove I'm strong enough to live there, then I'm coming too!"

Both boys grinned and headed quickly back towards Konoha before the gates would be closed. Neither of them saw Ienari Kenji, watching them from a distance with a satisfied expression on his face. He watched the boys rush away for a while, before he turned around to greet a young looking man who had eight, black fox tails waving back and forth. The fox tailed man wore a black kimono with white flames outlining the edges and had a silver belt around his waist. The man's black hair was well matched with the fox-like ears, and his piercing amber eyes were at the moment scrutinizing Ienari Kenji.

Kenji sighed as he greeted the Kitsune, "Hachiro-san (_**Eight Son**_), to what do I owe your presence?"

Hachiro stared at Kenji for a while before he answered, "**I have a question for you, Rakugosha-sama (_Outcast_), why were you speaking to the vessel of our leader and a human? It is quite out of character for someone of your stature.**"

Kenji frowned, "Don't call me by that name. I discarded it when I was banished by my own clan, and I will never bear that name again," he looked to where the boys had been, "As to your question, I have a certain affinity towards the human and I thought that the vessel could do with someone who can understand what it means to be alone, at least to a degree."

Hachiro just shook his head as he asked, "**And what will happen to them now? You're not going to interfere with human affairs, are you?**"

Kenji's voice was now filled with irritation as he answered, "I'm well aware of what would happen if I did more than what I did just now, Hachiro-san. That particular human…he's someone quite close to me…"

Hachiro's eyes widened as he stammered out, "**Y-y-you don't mean-!?**"

Kenji nodded, "Yes, that human is my true son. He is Ienari Josuke, son of my human form, Ienari Kenji, and Hyuga Masami (_**Grace and Beauty**_), and the successor of the human clan known as the Ienari clan."

Hachiro pinched the bridge of his nose as he muttered a few curses as he stated, "**You know what would happen if everyone in Makai knew about the boy, don't you? The vessel of my master is already being disputed of being killed by some of the weaker clans, and if word got out that that boy was your son, how many days do you think it would take for every Yōkai there to kill him or turn him to their will?**"

Kenji watched the last of the sun's light disappeared behind the sea of trees as he answered, "Josuke and Naruto will watch over each other. Once they become shinobi of this God forsaken village, I will personally train them in their respective clan's Jutsus."

Hachiro rubbed his temples, wishing that Rakugosha-sama wouldn't be so unpredictable when it came to anything personal. It was bad enough in Makai when all of the heads of the Nine Great Demon Families had not only been abducted by a summoning, but it was even more humiliating when they had been sealed away by mortals into different objects or mortals. Now that the Demon Realm was in disorder, for someone like Rakugosha-sama to do something so reckless like having a Han'yō child was as dangerous as having declared war on the entire Demon Realm. Not to mention that the current King of Makai himself had no love for anything that looked human, let alone a Han'yō.

Hachiro sighed, knowing he was out of his league at the moment, and asked "**So what now? Do you have some sort of plan?**"

Kenji nodded, "I'm going to fuse the vessel and your…_master_…together so that he can learn your techniques."

Hachiro's jaw fell at the answer he had not been expecting, "**ARE YOU CRAZY!? OUR MASTER WOULD NEVER AGREE TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!!**"

Kenji removed his sunglasses, and placed them inside his coat, "Do you have any better ideas?" when Hachiro didn't answer, Kenji continued, "The vessel is special, and your master will likely know this. He and I disagreed on many things, but on this occasion I think he'll agree that the best way for Naruto to become Hokage and to humiliate the people who had ever thought him as weak or harmed him in his life, is to make him into a Kitsune."

Hachiro rubbed his temples again, and wished that he had had an easier life than being the Kyuubi no Kitsune's right hand fox. Hachiro then hesitantly asked, "**When…when do you plan on fusing them?**"

Kenji began to walk away from Hachiro, "In seven years time, I will come back and fuse both Naruto and the Kyuubi no Kitsune together. At that time, I will also reveal a few things to both Josuke and Naruto about the roles they will play…"

With those words, Hachiro watched as Rakugosha disappeared into thin air. He gave a sigh and a shake of his head as he thought, **_For your sake, Rakugosha-sama, I hope that your plan goes the way that you played out…_ **

_Seven Years later, in one of Konoha's street…_ (_**Author Notes: I decided to skip ahead so as to not take so much time.**_)

Naruto and Josuke laughed as they outran the Chuunin and Jonin that were chasing the pair at the time. It had been seven long years since they had met, and both boys had grown up much like blood brothers. When they had arrived at the Hokage's Tower, they were both surprised to hear that they would be living together in a small apartment and have an allowance that would cover their expenses until they both became shinobi of the Leaf. Naruto had smiled and cheered at the idea, though later he and Josuke wondered who would've gotten them an apartment and fixed an allowance so that they could live for a while by themselves. After a while, they concluded that the man called Ienari Kenji had got them a home and money, for some reason that would only make sense to the enigmatic, elder man.

At the moment, however, both of the boys were wondering how they should get rid of their pursuers so that they could sneak back to the Academy without their sensei and father figure, Umino Iruka, noticing they were both gone. Josuke looked through his black sunglasses at the pursuers and asked aloud, "Do you think we should use one of our special bombs?"

Naruto grinned having already pulled out one of the bombs Josuke spoke off, "Way ahead of ya, Josuke."

Sending a bit of chakra into the bomb, Naruto threw the bomb after a few seconds and both he and Josuke rushed into an alley as it exploded. Both stopped and looked out of the alley to see their handiwork, and laughed seeing the shocked expressions on their pursuers, who were now covered in rainbow paint along with a lot of the street that they had been on. As Naruto and Josuke turned around to continue their getaway, they were both greeted by the sight of a _very_ irritated Iruka. Both gave a small "Yipe!" before they turned around getting ready to run for their lives. Neither got far, as Naruto was grabbed by the scruff of his orange jumpsuit and Josuke by the hood of his black hoody.

Iruka glared at the pair as he muttered, "You two are in serious trouble for ditching class…"

_Moments later; at the Ninja Academy…_

Josuke sighed as he and Naruto sat in front of the class, both tied up at the moment thanks to Iruka. Both boys had been causing pranks and the like for three years, and were known as Konoha's Troublemaking Duo. Many of their pranks were harmless, and no one really got hurt by any of them at all, but people tended to curse them whenever they caused trouble of one sort or another. Josuke couldn't count on his fingers the times that they were taking to the Hokage for one of their pranks, or stay in detention for causing a small ruckus in class.

Iruka sighed as he asked, "How many times do you two have to get in trouble before you two quit?"

Josuke smiled pleasantly as he asked Naruto, "Naruto-nii-san, do you know how many times we've been caught? I kind of lost count after the ninety-eighth time when Hokage-jii-san gave us that speech on being responsible."

Naruto shrugged, answering, "I lost count, period."

One of Iruka's eyes twitch at the disrespect he was being shown by both boys, and announced to the class, "Alright, everyone! Today we will be reviewing the _Henge no Jutsu_ (_**Transformation Technique**_)!"

The entire class groaned at the announcement and many of the students glared at Naruto and Josuke, whom were now talking about dinner at Ichiraku. Only Hyuga Hinata, Naruto's girlfriend, Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Chouji, both good friends of Josuke and Naruto, were the only ones not to complain, but rather had a "Those two will never learn" expression upon their face. The entire class soon lined up and demonstrated the _Henge no Jutsu_ to Iruka. Iruka then called out, "Ienari Josuke."

Josuke walked forward, his hands inside the large pocket of his hoody, and stood there, awaiting Iruka's signal. When he gave it, Josuke got his hands out of his pockets, and with a shout of, "_Henge_!" transform into a perfect copy of Iruka. Or rather one that would've been perfect had it not been that the transformation still had Josuke's eye color. Iruka jotted down on his clipboard a bit, feeling a bit sorry for Josuke. Josuke had the skills and mind of someone with top grades, but the kid had the bad luck of being unable to alter the color of his eyes no matter what type of Jutsu he used.

Iruka then called out, "Uzumaki Naruto!" and Naruto stepped forward to perform the _Henge no Jutsu_. However, Iruka failed to see the small glint of mischievousness in Naruto's eyes and wasn't ready when he became a voluptuous young woman that was practically naked except for some clouds that hung around her private areas. Iruka flew backward from the force of his bloody nose, and Josuke couldn't help but laugh along with Naruto as the blonde proclaimed, "That's the power of the _Orioke no Jutsu_ (_**Sexy Technique**_)!"

Both stopped laughing as Iruka shouted at Naruto, "YOU DUMBASS!!! DON'T INVENT STUPID SKILLS!!!"

_Later that day; at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar…_

Josuke served Naruto and Iruka another bowl of ramen as he smiled at a new customer, "Welcome to the Ichiraku Ramen Bar, may I take your order?"

The girl blushed and asked for a small bowl of miso ramen. Josuke nodded and called back, "A small bowl of miso, Aya-chan!"

Ayame, the daughter of the owner, looked from where she was boiling the noodles, "Sure thing, Josuke-kun!"

Josuke smiled at Ayame, earning him another blush, and went back to getting another bowl for Naruto. Josuke had at a young age asked Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku, if he could work at night for him at the bar. Teuchi had accepted and Josuke had become good friends with Ayame, right to the point that he called her, "Aya-chan" regularly. Unfortunately for Josuke, because of his messy hair and his distinct eyes, many girls thought of him a good comparison to Uchiha Sasuke and in the end they had formed a fan club as large as the one that the Uchiha had. Josuke didn't mind, as he used his good nature plus a smile or two to attract the customers, earning him a good paycheck to which he would deposit in a bank account that he and Naruto used to save their money for emergencies.

Josuke listened in on Naruto's conversation with Iruka, whom asked, "Tell me, Naruto, why did you and Josuke go and vandalize the Hokage's Monument? You two do know what it symbolizes, right?"

Naruto finished slurping the ramen in his mouth, and answered, "Sure, we do. The Hokage's were the best ninja in the village and the Yondaime was the one who got rid of the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Josuke nodded in agreement as he handed the small bowl of miso ramen to the young girl, whom blushed and muttered a "Thank you…"

Iruka looked confused seeing that both knew who the Hokage were, "Then why-?"

Naruto smiled as he proclaimed, "One day I'm going to get the title of Hokage, and then I'll surpass all of the previous Hokage!"

Josuke smiled as he crossed his arms, "And don't forget your trusted Sannin brother!"

Naruto grinned as he gave a small slug at Josuke, "How could I forget!?" 

Iruka just slurped his ramen in a bit of shock at hearing the two proclaim their goals in life. After recovering from the shock he asked, "Are you two really going for those titles? I mean, only a select few are chosen for Sannin, let alone Hokage."

Naruto just finished the bowl of ramen, and looked seriously at Iruka, "Iruka-sensei, Josuke and I decided a long time ago not to go back on our words or dreams. If we don't make it, then we just be deluding ourselves."

Josuke nodded sagely as he added, "If people saw that we used our strengths to protect rather than get revenge on every single crime done to us, then maybe things would be easier for us and people will stop hanging on to their hate."

Iruka could only smile at how wise the boys were acting and couldn't help but feel a bit proud that both boys looked at him like a father as well as their teacher. Even though Naruto housed the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Iruka knew how it felt to be alone and could understand the boy. He was glad though when Josuke became Naruto's "brother" and was amazed at how well both got along. Of course, Iruka had not told them this because he knew that somehow the two boys knew that Iruka was one of the few who cared about them.

Josuke looked at the small clock on the wall, and gave a yawn, "Looks like its closing time."

Ayame looked from where she had finished cleaning a few of the bowls that Naruto had eaten from, and looked at Josuke, "You're not leaving here until you help me with the mountain of bowls that Naruto-kun left."

Josuke sighed, as Naruto and Iruka chuckled, and faced his brother and teacher, "I guess I'll be here for a bit. See ya later Naruto-nii-san, and try to get to sleep so that we can both pass the Exam, okay?"

Naruto gave his trademark grin as he answered, "Don't worry, I'll get a goodnight's rest and then we'll both be a step closer to our dream of getting the respect we deserve!"

Josuke smiled as he clasped his hand with Naruto's and gave it a firm shake sealing the deal. Josuke watched them go for a moment, before he turned around and helped Ayame begin cleaning the bowls.

_Next morning; at the Ninja Academy…_

Josuke watched with some sadness as Naruto came out with his head hung and unadorned by a headband and with a face that said he had failed. Josuke had performed the _Bunshin no Jutsu_ (_**Clone Technique**_) and had easily passed the written test without any problems. However, Josuke couldn't help but feel like he had robbed Naruto off of his chance in becoming a ninja, and tried to cheer Naruto up.

"Hey, Naruto-nii-san," he said as he touched Naruto's shoulder, "how about we go see Hokage-jii-san and see if you can have a different Jutsu as your final exam? I'm sure he'll understand and-"

But Naruto just looked up and shook his head, "Its okay, Josuke-nii-san, I just gotta have some alone time for now…"

Josuke watched as Naruto walked away from the Academy, a dark cloud seemingly hanging over him as he made his way down the streets of Konoha. Josuke watched Naruto go, and a rare frown soon began to creep on his face. This disappeared as he nodded to himself and headed to see Iruka to see if there was anyway for Naruto to still pass and become a shinobi.

_Later that day; within a secret grove…_

Naruto read over the scroll that Mizuki had told him would help him become a Genin if he performed one of the techniques written within the scroll. It had been easy enough for him to sneak inside the Hokage's Tower and locate the scroll; the only problem he had encountered was the Sandaime Hokage, who got taken care of with an _Orioke no Jutsu_. He had been careful in not alerting any of the passing ANBU that had been around on their night patrol and had made it to the place that Mizuki-sensei had told him he could practice the Jutsu that he read from the scroll.

_Hmmm…_Naruto thought as he read through the scroll, _Let's see…the first Jutsu on this scroll is the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (**Shadow Clone Technique**). WHAT!? A CLONE TECHNIQUE!?...WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE A CLONE TECHNIQUE RIGNT OFF THE BAT!? Oh well…I guess I better get started…_

Naruto worked on through the night, not knowing how long he was in that clearing practicing the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_. As he lay down to rest for a moment, he heard someone coming from the woods behind him, and was surprised to see Josuke suddenly appear with a look of annoyance in his face.

Josuke looked at Naruto and bopped him on the head, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING OUT HERE AT THIS TIME!?"

After massaging his head, Naruto retorted, "I WAS TRYING TO LEARN A JUTSU THAT WOULD LET ME PASS, SO THAT I COULD BE A GENIN!!!"

Josuke looked confused at this and asked, "Who told you that?"

Naruto answered matter-of-factly, "Mizuki-sensei did."

Josuke looked thoughtful as he muttered aloud, "But Iruka-sensei said that there wasn't any way for anyone who failed the test to become a Genin…"

Both then realized that Mizuki had tricked Naruto into stealing the scroll for himself or for someone who had hired Mizuki to steal the scroll. As both growled and cursed Mizuki, both noticed someone standing atop of one of the trees and turn to see who it was. Both gasp when they realized that standing on the branch was none other than Ienari Kenji, the man who had saved them both back in their youth.

Both boys stood there for a moment before a smile broke through Josuke's face, and he shouted, "Ienari-sama!"

Kenji jumped down from the branch and petted both boys on the head and gave them a warm, almost fatherly smile, "It is good to see you two. How have you been?"

Both boys then recounted the last seven years to the old man, and at the story of their infamous pranks, Kenji couldn't help but laugh at the mental pictures he got from imagining the scene. At the end, Kenji nodded thoughtfully at the boys' story, _They have grown as well as one can when an entire village hates their existence…It seems that I will be able to train them both as I thought I would…_

He then saw the scroll on Naruto's back and asked, "Where did you get that scroll, Naruto?"

Naruto pulled the scroll off his back and recounted everything that had happened after Mizuki had spoken with him about his failed test. Kenji frowned and grew disgusted, _This Mizuki…he knew that if word got out that Naruto stole the Scroll of Sealings then Naruto, and likely Josuke, would both be killed on sight. He will pay for trying to kill two survivors of clans far worthier than all those in Konoha…_

Josuke snapped into attention and looked around, alerting both Kenji and Naruto of someone coming. Josuke, Kenji, and Naruto turned in time to be greeted by the face of Iruka, whom looked as though he had run around all over the place in order to find Naruto.

"Naruto!" Iruka shouted out of breath, "What-who!?"

Kenji cleared his throat and Iruka noticed the man for the first time, "Who are you!?"

Kenji raised a hand and waved it in a calming manner, "You may relax, Umino Iruka, I'm an old acquaintance of these two, and I was worried about them."

Iruka looked cautiously at the man, until he realized that if he had been the one to order the stealing of the scroll, then he would've left the moment Iruka had arrived. Kenji then looked up at one of the trees and said aloud, "It seems we have another guest…"

Everyone looked up in time to see Mizuki as he entered the grove, a look of surprise in his face when he saw how many people were there. Mizuki now looked worried seeing the face of Kenji who stood up and padded both boys' on their shoulder, "Why don't you two take care of this?" before he sat back down, he whispered, "And don't hold back…"

Both Josuke and Naruto looked at each other from the corner of their eyes and nodded to each other. Naruto turned around and handed the scroll to Iruka, while Josuke removed his sunglasses and pocketed them. Both then looked at Mizuki, and he was surprised at the anger and killing intent both were exhibiting from their bodies. Josuke formed a hand seal, and to Iruka's and Mizuki's surprise, he stated out loud, "_Byakugan_ (_**White Eyes**_)…"

Naruto also formed a hand seal but grinned as he told Mizuki, "You have my thanks for letting me find an interesting Jutsu, Mizuki-teme…_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!!!"

Both Chuunin gasped as the field was suddenly covered with several Naruto, each a perfect copy of the original. Josuke gave a smirk as he asked the Naruto beside him, "Oi, oi, why didn't you tell me about a new Jutsu, Naruto-nii-san? You know I don't like not knowing something you don't."

One of the Naruto gave a trademark fox grin answering, "Sorry, but considering you weren't here at the time, I really couldn't do much," many of the clones cracked their knuckles as he added; "Besides I can teach you the Jutsu later if you want."

Josuke took the normal position of the _Jūken_ (_**Gentle Fist**_) and replied, "No thanks, I'll just find a more interesting _Clone Technique_ and use that one instead."

Naruto shrugged to himself, and then took the normal position of the _Gōken_ (_**Strong Fist**_) as he finished, "Then how about we just beat this guy already? I want to go and apologize to Hokage-jii-san before returning the scroll and getting a night's sleep."

Josuke chuckled but didn't answer, knowing that Naruto didn't like to talk when he fought someone. Mizuki, seeing that he was clearly outmatched and outnumbered, turned to get away, only to be sent down towards the ground by a powerful kick and punch from two of Naruto's clones. Josuke then rushed forward, becoming a blur to the sight of Iruka and Mizuki, and reappeared in midair with Mizuki. Josuke tapped both arms quickly before landing a palm thrust at Mizuki's chest and kicked him into the crowd of clones that were waiting below.

Mizuki was soon pummeled within an inch of his life, and couldn't even groan from the intense pain that both his body and his organs were now giving him. Josuke prodded Mizuki with a stick he had found and asked, "Think we went overboard with our Taijutsu, Naruto?"

Naruto snorted as he answered, "He deserved it."

Kenji smiled as they made ready to go to the Hokage's Tower, _Not only did Naruto learned a Jonin-level Jutsu in only a few hours, but apparently he also learned the Gōken Taijutsu style during my time away. His dream of becoming the Hokage may not be as farfetched as many believed. Josuke…for him to have both the Byakugan and to know the Jūken, he is even stronger than I had anticipated. They will become even more powerful than what I had imagined if they continue to grow like this…_

Iruka smiled as he motioned Naruto to come over to where he was standing. Naruto obliged and was instructed to close his eyes. Both Josuke and Kenji smiled as they watched Iruka place his own headband around Naruto's, and could only laugh when Naruto opened his eyes and Iruka smiled telling him, "Congratulations, graduate, you passed!"

Kenji could only feel pride as Naruto smiled and hugged Iruka thanking him. He looked at the rising sun, and sighed to himself, _I wonder how he will react when I tell him the truth tomorrow? _

_**END OF CHAPTER 1**_

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_**This is most likely not only the longest chapter I've written, but the one I took the most care to get ready. I hope you guys will be ready for the next one, 'cause it's going to be a doozy of a chapter! **_

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_**Oh and for those of you wondering, I decided to change Josuke's looks, powers, Jutsus, and some of his personality in order to make the story interesting. That and the fact, that I thought Naruto should know that there is more than one type of outcast in this world. **_

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_**As you all know, I'm a big Naruto/Hinata couple fan, so that's going to be one of the pairings in this story. However, for Josuke I'm going to see which one you guys want me to make him get stuck with! The list includes: **_

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_**Ayame **_

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_**Ino **_

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_**Sakura **_

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_**Tuschi Kin **_

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_**TenTen **_

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_**Tayuya **_

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_**Other (Specify) **_

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_**That's all for now! **_

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_**Shidyk D. Shade**_


	2. Chapter 2: The Heirs Revealed!

**Disclaimer:** I do not, in any way or form, own any of the Naruto characters. However, I do own all made up characters of this AU.

**Bold- Biju/Yōkai talking **

_**Bold and Italic- Biju/ Yōkai thinking **_

_Italic- someone thinking/ Flashback _

_Italic and Underline- Time/location shift _

_**Bold and Italic and Underline- Translations, Title, or Narration **_

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**_Chapter 2: The Truth behind All Truths – The Heirs are Revealed! _**

_**What does it mean to be an outcast? What is so scary about being alone, with no one around? Is it total quiet one is given by his peers and his elders? Or is it the fact that no one can give the person what they crave for the most: Love? Whatever the answer, there is one sure fact among those who are outcasts: though they are outcasts, there are others like them... **_

Naruto and Josuke rushed through the streets of Konoha at the quickest speed they could both muster up. Josuke looked at Naruto as they jumped over a couple passing by, "Why do you always have to make us late by eating so much ramen!?"

As Naruto dodged being hit by a person passing by, he retorted, "It's not all my fault! You ate almost as much as me!"

Both Naruto and Josuke had been asked by the Hokage the previous day to come to a small meeting in the afternoon that was of utmost important to them. That morning both had gone out and trained with their Taijutsu master, Maito Gai, and his apprentice/look-alike, Rock Lee. After a morning of practice, both Josuke and Naruto headed for Ichiraku to eat some lunch and rest up before their meeting with the Sandaime Hokage. They had eaten about ten bowls each when they noticed that they had ten minutes before they needed to get to the Hokage's office.

As both jumped onto the roofs, Josuke and Naruto remembered the night before when Ienari Kenji had talked to them about adopting both as his sons. Both boys had jumped at the opportunity and had stated that they would both be glad to be his sons. Kenji had warned them, however, that they would both be targeted by many enemies of great strength and intelligence. They would also train at a much higher level of training than the others, and they would be taught more than what a normal shinobi should know. Needless to say, neither Naruto nor Josuke were intimidated by the warnings, and both stated that they would do whatever was necessary to become the best shinobi in the entire world.

Naruto and Josuke soon landed on one of the balconies that the Hokage's Tower had, and rushed inside the door. Both breathed heavily as they entered the office, and shouted, "Sorry we're late!"

Both the Sandaime and Kenji looked at the boys as they came in, both with a small grin. The Hokage waved his hand as he replied, "Don't worry, you two made it on time, and besides, we were waiting for a few more people."

Both Josuke and Naruto wondered what the Hokage meant by that when a knock came to the door. The Hokage stated whomever was behind the door could enter, and both boys gasped at seeing their friend and Naruto's girlfriend, Hyuga Hinata, come in with her father. Josuke quickly turned away from both, knowing that if he looked at them straight in the eye, he would most likely get the elder Hyuga angered before the meeting could commence. Josuke then heard Hiashi ask, "Why are these…two here? If I had known I would've been sharing a room with a half-blood freak and his…_brother_…I would've…"

Hiashi never got too far in his ramblings as the room was suddenly filled with the strongest killing intent that he had ever felt. He looked to Kenji who was frowning at him, and looking as though he had been annoyed by something. As the killing intent disappeared, Kenji responded in a calm tone, "You do well to keep a civil tongue, Hyuga Hiashi; you may lose it if you call my future sons here names…"

Hiashi activated his Byakugan and gave the man a long glare before he deactivated it, and he and Hinata sat as far away as they could from the others. The Hokage sighed in a bit of relief that a fight wasn't going to break out and asked Kenji, "Is all the people you wanted here?"

Kenji pulled a small watch from within his cloak and answered, "There is one more, and he's running late…"

Suddenly the center of the room was filled with a black flame tinted with silver, making everyone but Kenji jump. As Kenji pocketed the watch, he looked towards the flames and muttered, "You're late, Hachiro. I thought I told you to be on time for this meeting..."

From the flames the shape of a man appear, and as they died, everyone gasped seeing a young looking man who had eight, black fox tails waving back and forth. The fox tailed man wore a black kimono with white flames outlining the edges and had a silver belt around his waist. The man's black hair was well matched with the fox-like ears, and his piercing amber eyes surveyed the room before he answered,** "My apologies, Rakugosha-sama, time moves so differently here than back at home that I thought I had a bit of time to stop by and get something to eat." **

Kenji sighed as he asked the eight-tailed man, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me by that name?" seeing everyone was still eyeing the visitor strangely, he added, "This is a friend of mine, Kitsune Hachiro. He is the acting head of the Yōkai clan known as the Kitsune."

Hiashi suddenly sat up and was about to shout something, when one of Hachiro's tails came and grabbed him by the neck. Hachiro looked at Hiashi for a moment before he stated,** "Judging by how violently you're reacting to my clan, and by your eyes, I say you're an idiot who's scared of the story he's heard of my kin and a Hyuga,"** Hachiro chuckled,** "A very bad combination, if what I've heard about your clan is true…" **

"Hachiro," Kenji warned, "let go of Hyuga Hiashi. We have more important matters to discuss, and we need him, no matter how irritating his presence is to you or those in this room."

Hachiro snorted as the tail that held Hiashi was removed and the Kitsune huffed, "You must've lost your sense of humor when you were a baby, Rakugosha-sama…"

Both Josuke and Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at the comment, and quickly became silent when they saw the stare that their soon-to-be father was giving them. The Hokage then cleared his throat and looked at Kenji, "Is that everyone?"

Kenji nodded, and soon the Hokage continued, "Right then…what's about to be spoken in this room is an S-class secret, and the penalty for telling said secret is immediate execution. Nobody in this room must _ever_ speak this to anyone unless given my or Kenji-dono's approval."

Everyone in the room took a solemn nod and let the aging man continue, "We've had had many clans in Konoha before as those of you know. However, there were once upon a time four clans that were considered the strongest clans in the entirety of Konoha's history. These clans were the Uchiha, the Hyuga…the Uzumaki, and the Ienari."

Josuke, Hinata, and Naruto let out a gasp at hearing the last two names, and all three looked at Kenji, whom merely had his head down and did not want to be read by the three. The Hokage continued after clearing his throat, "The Uchiha, as we know, were the wielders of the Sharingan eye and made up most of the Konoha Police force. The Hyuga are considered still as one of our more exalted clans, and of course, they are noted for their Byakugan. The Uzumaki clan were the least numerous of the clans, however, they were once our best Ninjutsu specialists. The Ienari, though not as miniscule as the Uzumaki, were not very numerous and specialized in…Yōkai extermination."

Everyone but Hiashi, Hachiro, and Kenji stared in stunned silence as the Hokage finished his sentence. The Hokage nodded to Kenji, whom replied, "The Uzumaki and the Ienari clan thought of the village before their clan and thus were the first in line when in battle, always ready to take the first blow for the sake of their people…No matter if their enemy was another shinobi or a Yōkai, the Uzumaki and the Ienari always held the line and never retreated once."

The children in the room were now utterly enthralled by this revelation, and hung to every word that Kenji was now giving them. Kenji continued seeing he still had the attention of the others, "I was good friends with the current leaders of the clans before they were destroyed by the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Uzumaki Arashi, or as everyone knows him better, the Yondaime Hokage and Ienari Ken'ichi (_Strong First Son_) were the greatest of their generation and had both helped the other in finishing the Kyuubi no Kitsune when it rampaged."

Now Hiashi and the Hokage were surprised by this statement and listened carefully as Kenji continued, "When it was apparent that the Kyuubi could not be stopped normally, Ken'ichi used one of the Ienari clan's strongest _Barrier Techniques_ that held the Yōkai in place while the Yondaime performed a special Jutsu that finally finished the great beast. I watched in utter despair as the barrier broke, and took the life of Ken'ichi, just as Arashi finished performing the Jutsu that took his life along that of his enemy."

Hiashi looked away for a moment as his thoughts quickly raced through his mind, _But the Council said that the Ken'ichi had been killed before the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha! Something doesn't add up…_

Kenji sighed as he finished, "After the Kyuubi was destroyed, I left Konoha, vowing not to return as long as blood ran into my veins. However, something pulled me back after a few years," here he smiled at the two boys, "two somethings to be exact."

Naruto, after getting rid of his shock, asked, "Does…that mean, we…?"

Kenji nodded, "Yes, you and Josuke are the last of these two clans."

Now everyone in the room, except for the Kitsune who was leaning back on his chair, stood in complete silence for a long while. Josuke then looked up and asked, "But…how can I be the last of the Ienari clan? I was orphaned at a young age and _you_ gave me the name Ienari!"

Kenji looked a bit worried but answered, "Your last name was lost to everyone because the entire clan was destroyed at the time, and since no one other than me ever spoke with them, no one knew who you were until I told Naruto your name," seeing Josuke was ready to yell at him, Kenji raised his hand to be allowed to continue, "Josuke…I'm not your father. I was adopted into the Ienari clan before you were born and so I'm only in name an Ienari, not in blood. Forgive me…at the time, I could not think straight and it took me a while for my head to be cleared of the depression that it had taken."

Josuke looked down for a moment, many emotions running through his mind and face. After a few seconds though, Josuke looked up, tears visible, and smiled, nearly shouting, "Are you kidding!? How could I get mad at the guy who's going to be like a dad to me and Naruto-nii-san?"

Kenji smiled, almost crying himself, seeing how strong willed Josuke was, _If only I could tell you the real truth, Josuke…_

Hachiro cleared his throat, souring the mood that had just come up,** "Not to be rude or anything, but we are here to do a few things." **

Kenji, after taking a hold of himself, nodded and looked at the Hokage, "May I continue?"

The Hokage hesitantly nodded, and Kenji sighed, "Naruto, Josuke, Hinata…the truth is that the Kyuubi no Kitsune was never destroyed by the Yondaime Hokage."

Hinata, Naruto, and Josuke looked at each other for a moment before they all looked at Kenji and Hinata whispered, "We know Naruto-kun is the jailor of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Kenji-san."

Everyone in the room stood quiet before Hiashi shouted, "Who told you this!? Who broke the law that the Sandaime Hokage put onto all of us!?"

Josuke shrugged, facing the Hyuga now for the first time, replying, "No one did. We figured it out all by ourselves."

Everyone stood in pure amazement at what Josuke had just stated so matter-of-factly. Kenji's eyes scrutinized the trio as he asked, "How _did_ you three figure it out?"

Naruto, to everyone's surprise, was the one to answer, "It happened about a year ago in after a day in the Academy. Josuke had run ahead to get to work, leaving me behind with Hinata-chan and a friend or two," Hiashi looked at Naruto with a glare, but stopped when he saw one of Hachiro's tails hover close to him, "There wasn't much time for training, so I asked Hinata-chan if she wanted to get a bowl at Ichiraku, and she said yes. While we were on our way there, a drunken man comes out of a bar and starts to shout at me. We ignore him and continue on our way when the drunk throws the bottle at me. Since he's drunk, though, he misses me and hits Hinata-chan on the back of the head…"

Hiashi was now fuming very visibly, and only Hachiro's tails kept him away from where Naruto sat. Naruto took a deep breath before he continued, "After I saw Hinata-chan clutching the back of her head, I…I kind of lost it, and then this chakra starts to pour out of me. I glare at the guy for a moment, before he shouts something I couldn't understand and I hit him with my fist on the face…hard. After that it kind of gets fuzzy, but I remember someone saving the guy, me chasing for a while before I just lost consciousness."

Hinata then looked up and continued where Naruto left off, "I went after Naruto-kun when he jumped after the man and his rescuer, and tried to tell him to stop. I was pretty far behind when I found him again, unconscious and looking a bit like himself before the drunken man had hit me. I look around, looking for someone to help me, when I heard someone call my name from where I had come from. I turned to see Josuke coming towards me, looking like he had seen a ghost and asks me what had happened."

Josuke leaned back and looked at the roof for a moment before he finished the narration the three were giving, "When I got to work, I remembered I had left something at school and told Teuchi-ossan that I would be right back. I was pretty close to where Hinata-hime and Naruto-nii-san were at the time, and I felt the chakra surge. Somehow I kind of just knew that it was Naruto and I hurried to the spot they were at. I saw Hinata-hime go after something that was surrounded in red chakra and followed as quickly as I could, trying to figure out what was going on. When I caught up to Naruto and Hinata-hime and was told what had happened, I started to wonder about the red chakra and what Hinata-hime had told me a moment ago."

Everyone in the room waited for Josuke, Hinata, or Naruto to continue, and after a moment Josuke told them, "The drunk had told Naruto-nii-san that he should've died eleven years ago with the Yondaime Hokage. I took this as a clue and began to read everything I could about the battle between the Kyuubi and the Yondaime. It was then I realized something: Naruto was always beaten the worst at the tenth of October, the same day that the Yondaime fought the Kyuubi. Naruto was always being called a demon or monster behind his back, only after everyone thought that he was out of earshot. Then there was the fact that all the parents wouldn't let Naruto play with their children when he never did anything to them. There were just so many clues that we kind of wondered why everyone never talked about it publicly."

Naruto then added, "That was when Hinata-chan gave us the answer: it was a law not to speak about me being the Kyuubi's jailor. I kind of felt sick in my stomach when I realized everyone hated me because of the monster inside of me, and I told Hinata-chan and Josuke-nii-san that if they never wanted to be around me again then I would understand…"

Now everyone in the room could feel the pure misery that hung around Naruto, and for a moment, even Hiashi felt sorry for the boy. Josuke looked at the adults and smiled as he answered, "And naturally, we told him we didn't care if he was the Kyuubi incarnate, we would _always_ stay by his side no matter what!"

Kenji smiled when he saw Naruto grin and return to normal. However, in his thoughts, Kenji was disgusted by the village, _How could they give such hate and anger to someone who had no choice? How could they turn an innocent boy an outcast, though he sacrificed his very childhood?_

Hachiro sighed as he tapped one of his feet impatiently**, "This is all very touching, and I really feel sadden by these stories, but we _are_ supposed to be doing something important here!" **

Kenji rolled his eyes in annoyance but decided to hold his tongue in check for now, "Very well, Hachiro, we'll get to the matter now."

Hachiro nodded, and cleared his throat,** "Thank you, Rakugosha-sama,"** after a glare from Kenji, he looked at Naruto,** "Naruto-kun, as you know, you are the vessel for our master, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. What you, and the others here, don't know is that our master was abducted and forced into the realm of humans by a summoning." **

Everyone but Kenji listened attentively as Hachiro continued,** "We do not know exactly _who_ summoned our master, but we do know that there were ten mortals doing the summoning. They then induced a Genjutsu that instilled rage into our master, and thus his killing instincts took over and he attacked your village. When we learned that he was sealed within a young mortal child, we were both outraged and desperate at the same time to get our leader back," **Hachiro sighed, a sad look upon his eyes,** "We, however, couldn't do anything since there were rules place upon Makai about interfering with human affairs. That is…until Rakugosha-sama gave us the idea of fusing Naruto-kun with our master." **

Everyone in the room stood quiet, before they shouted, "WHAT!?"

Hachiro looked as perturbed as they did**, "It was not our idea, you have my word on that. Rakugosha-sama is…not like other _humans_. He told us that the only way for our master to return to his seat would be if someone of his blood or chakra would take over our clan. We fought against the idea for a while, but we gave up after we acknowledge the fact our master didn't have any kits of his blood and no one had the same type of chakra that he had had. Rakugosha-sama knew this, and showed us the scroll that held the Jutsu he had in mind to do the fusion, and it was agreed that _if_ Naruto agreed, we would call him the next Kyuubi no Kitsune when he came of age and strength." **

Everyone just sat there stunned most of all Naruto. Here he was, being given not only a father, but now a clan if he agreed to be fused and made into the very thing that had caused him such great torment for the past twelve years. Naruto stayed in his seat his thoughts churning through his head at the possible outcomes of becoming the new Kyuubi no Kitsune. He looked at Hachiro and asked, "Can you tell me how the Kyuubi acted before he attacked us?"

Hachiro nodded and answered honestly,** "He was both a proud warrior and a caring leader. He put the pains of others before his, never once asking for help or advice unless he knew he had to be careful in a matter. He was always proud of being called the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and he always watched over us like a parent does with his child. He was…no, he is like a father to me and I would've gladly helped him in anyway that I could." **

Naruto took all of Hachiro's words and thought about them for a time. He then looked at Kenji and asked, "Is there someway we could talk to the Kyuubi, Ienari-jii-san?"

Hiashi stood up in disbelief and shouted, "Talk to the very beast that caused us misery!? Do you know what you're saying you stupid little-!?"

Hachiro gave a growl and glared murderously at the Hyuga halting his ramblings, before Kenji calmed him down, and answered, "Yes, there is a way for you to speak to him. Are you sure that you want to do this, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded, and Kenji replied, "Alright then…what I'm about to use is a Genjutsu that will send your conscious mind and that of mine to your deep subconscious. Since we are going to enter your mind, I suggest that if you don't want to lose yourself to your own illusions that you keep near me."

Naruto stood and walked over to Kenji, who began to form a few hand seals before stating,** "_Shinshin no Jutsu_ (_Mind & Body Technique_)!" **

**_Within Naruto's mind; a few moments later…_ **

Naruto blinked for a moment, and gasped seeing that he was no longer in the Hokage's office but in a sewer-like hall. Beside him, Kenji stood looking around him and muttering something about killing the damn villagers for making this place what it was. Naruto looked down and made a face when he saw that his ankles were submerged in the slime.

**Kenji gave another disgusted grunt before he motioned Naruto to follow him through the maze of sewers that made up Naruto's mind. Naruto didn't know how long they walked for or how far, but when they arrived to where the Kyuubi was housed, Naruto was amazed. There before him stood the largest gates he had ever seen in his life, with only a small piece of paper with the kanji for "seal" written on it. **

Suddenly a dark voice called out, "Hey, you two…come closer…"

Naruto shivered at how vile the voice sounded, but Kenji stepped forward and stated in a calm voice, "I see you're doing well, Kyuubi…"

Suddenly a giant claw came rushing towards Kenji. Naruto tried to yell out to watch out, but stopped when he saw Kenji merely raise one of his hands and stop the claw a few inches away from his face. Kenji gave a snort as he muttered, "And I still see you have the same attitude you had when you attacked Konoha…"

**The voice of the Kyuubi sounded confused, "Do you mind telling me who you are? For someone to able to stop me, you have to be either three beings: Kami-sama himself, the King of Makai, or Rakugosha the Traveler." **

**Kenji smirked as he looked at the darkness of the cage, "That was my name before I decided to stay in the Realm of Man…" **

The Kyuubi now was surprised and came into view, startling Naruto, and somewhat, Kenji. The Kitsune stood before them as tall as a mountain, nine tails swaying in the small confinement of the cage, and still looking like it could kill someone with just staring at them with its maniacal eyes. The Kyuubi looked carefully at Kenji before his claw retracted and laughed, "Well, well, well…if it isn't the Traveler himself! To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence in this dismal place?"

**Kenji didn't answer but performed the seal of the snake and murmured, "_Kai_ _Release)_…" **

**Suddenly the Kyuubi blinked once, then twice, and to Naruto, it seemed as though the anger had evaporated completely. Now standing before them was not a feral beast, but rather a creature that could contest against the celestial beings in the sky and theYōkai of Makai. The Kyuubi looked at Kenji and Naruto and asked in a very loud voice, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING!? WHERE AM I!?" **

Kenji waited until the Kyuubi finished a bit of cursing that followed after the questions to answer, "To answer your first question, twelve mortal years ago, you were induced by a Genjutsu to attack the mortal settlement known as Konohagakure no Sato. You were then sealed within the body of the Hokage's son, which should also answer your second question."

**The Kyuubi looked at Kenji again, and actually sighed in what seemed to be relief, "Rakugosha, my comrade! Am I glad to see someone who isn't trying to see you!" **

This statement confused Naruto, but Kenji laughed as he replied, "It is good to see you too, Kyuubi no Kitsune. I'm glad to see I was able to release the Genjutsu placed upon you."

Naruto stood there for a few minutes before he snapped, "WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHY THE KYUUBI NO KITSUNE IS NOW ACTING LIKE HE'S HUMAN!?"

Both Kenji and the Kyuubi looked at Naruto for what had been the first time since they had begun their talk. Kenji coughed once and explained, "Naruto, remember when Hachiro said that the Kyuubi was in a Genjutsu that made him go on a rampage?" Naruto nodded, "I just undid the Genjutsu so that we could talk about the fusion."

**The Kyuubi now looked curious, "A fusion? Mind explaining what you mean by that, Rakugosha?" **

Soon Kenji, with some add ins from Naruto, explained what they were planning on doing in order for at least the Kitsune clan to become at peace as well as Naruto's dream of becoming the Hokage. The Kyuubi listened aptly at everything that both the man and the child told him, and considered it for a while. It looked at Naruto, and within him, he could see the very mortal that had become known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha within him.

**_This kit_, the large fox thought with an inner grin playing his mind, _He looks so much like that bastard…and I bet he has that same spirit of protecting others that the bastard and I seemed to have shared. If we fused, my bet is that it would be for the better rather than the worst. After all, I made his life pretty miserable in this God forsaken village, the very least I could do is give him a damn family like he should've had._ **

The Kyuubi looked at Naruto and then at Kenji, stating,** "Alright, do the fusion." **

Naruto and Kenji were both amazed at how quickly the Kyuubi had answered. Naruto was the first to recover and asked, "Are you sure? I mean you're going to be-"

**"Kit,"** the Kitsune interrupted**, "I may have been under a Genjutsu but I was never blind. I saw what me being in you did to your childhood, and no one should be forced to go through the hell you went through. The very least I could do is give you a good family and a home that you should've gotten when you were born." **

Naruto just stood there dumbfounded at how caring the Kyuubi was sounding, it almost sounded fatherly, like when Kenji had asked how they had been when he had returned. Naruto looked up at the giant fox and asked, "So is there anything I should know when we fuse?"

The Kyuubi looked at Naruto and told him**, "Rakugosha can explain that since my expertise on the whole fusion techniques is very limited. Oh and kit before you go, I have a word of advice about you and the girl you're seeing,"** Naruto looked at the Kyuubi, whom looked solemn as he finished,** "If you want to marry her or for that matter protect her, you'll have to make her a Kitsune one day too. My kin and the other Yōkai in Makai would kill her if they knew she was only a mortal and they knew your current level of strength." **

Naruto then asked, "What about Josuke?"

The Kyuubi closed its eyes and laid down on the prison's floor**, "Your…_brother_ is safe enough. He's one of the Ienari after all and if there is one kind of mortal that could kill Yōkai in their sleep, is them." **

Naruto stood there for a moment before he nodded, and turned to Kenji, "So Kenji-jii-san, how do we get out of here?"

Kenji made a few hand seals and a door appear before him and Naruto. He looked at Naruto and nodded towards the door, "This is how."

Both soon passed through the door, leaving the Kyuubi no Kitsune behind them.

_Hokage's office; a few seconds later…_

Naruto blinked for a few seconds before he was able to get his bearings back. He looked around and saw everyone look at him, clearly everyone aside from Hiashi worried about him. Naruto took a deep breath and sat down on his chair, thinking of what had happened within his mind that seemed only a few moments ago. The decision he made now would be both permanent, and crucial to not only a large clan of Yōkai, but also to everyone in Konoha.

He looked at Josuke, the brother who had always stood by his side ever since Kenji had asked Naruto to find him, then at Hinata, the girl that had become the person he cherished most when she had stated her love to him, and then at Kenji, the enigmatic man who had begun these chain of events and who would become Naruto's and Josuke's second father. Naruto thought about everything he had heard from everyone in the room, and the Kyuubi's words when he had entered his mind.

He looked at Kenji and asked, "What would the fusion do to me exactly?"

Kenji answered honestly, "You would become a Han'yō, a half-demon. You would have all the powers of the Kitsune Yōkai, but still have your humanity as well. Once a month, you will become completely human so that your powers are periodically restored. You will have higher senses than any human, and you may gain some new appendages like a tail or such, which can be hidden when here in the Realm of Man."

Naruto looked at Hachiro and the other adults in the room before he clenched his fist and replied, "Alright, I'll fuse with the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Hiashi opened his mouth and was ready to insult and warn Naruto, but was cut off by the Hokage, who asked, "Are you sure, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded, "From everything that's happened in this room, I don't see why I shouldn't fuse and get a bigger family than I was originally going to get."

Josuke smiled as he patted Naruto on the back and told him, "You better not forget about the 'family' you got baka!"

Naruto grinned as he retorted back, "How could I forget the brother who stuck by me for the last seven years?"

Both grinned at each other, knowing that they would still watch over the others' back no matter what. Naruto then looked at Kenji, "So when do we do the fusion?"

Kenji, whom had been whispering something to Hachiro, answered, "Tonight as I have all the necessary items for the fusion to be successful."

Hachiro then looked at Naruto, a smile playing on his face, and bowed,** "Excuse me for now, Naruto-sama; I have to tell my, erm…our kin about the good news!" **

With that, the black Kitsune disappeared in a burst of white and black flames. Hiashi stood up, preparing to leave with Hinata, when he was stopped by Kenji. Hiashi gave the man a cold stare as he asked, "What now? I would think that since this meeting had nothing to do with me, I would be allowed to leave at my leisure…"

Kenji looked from behind his sunglasses and stated, "It _does_ concern you, Hiashi. For you see, I requested that your daughter be on a team with my sons, and which is to be headed by me and those whom I ask for assistance."

Naruto and Josuke watched as Hiashi face turned red and his anger filled the room. Kenji merely shrugged off the anger that was being directed at him and explained, "Your daughter was the only one to truly accept Naruto and Josuke out of all your clan, she's the heir of the Hyuga, and from her scoring that I was allowed to see, she tends to specialize in medicine. In other words, she would be perfect support for two heavy hitters like Naruto and Josuke, plus the fact that she would be trained by several Jonin-level shinobi and myself, who as you know is ranked Sannin, does make it better for the Hyuga, doesn't it?"

Hinata gave a small gasp after she heard Kenji state that he was a Sannin, and knew that if her father passed this up, he would be stunting the growth of the Hyuga. This thought raced through the Hyuga leader's mind and he knew that he would gain or lose a lot with the answer he gave at that moment. He looked at Hinata, and then at Josuke and Naruto, and finally Kenji, and finally muttered, "Very well, you may train her," he glared at the man, "But should you either slow her growth, or for that matter harm her, I will personally make sure that you die the worst possible kind of death imaginable…"

With those words, Hiashi and Hinata left the Hokage's office leaving Josuke, Naruto, Kenji, and the elder Sarutobi alone. Kenji let out an exasperated sigh and muttered, "If it wasn't for the fact that I was train by the most shrewd minds in this world, I would've spat at that man and then assassinated the entire clan for good measures…" He then saw Naruto's and Josuke's faces and waved his hand in front of him, "Don't worry, I would've left Hinata alive."

The Sandaime sighed, rubbing the temples of his head, "I would not blame you for it either…"

That made everyone laugh a little, and soon Kenji and his boys left the Hokage to his work.

_Later that night; in a large room…_

Naruto took a deep breath to settle his nerves, trying very hard to keep himself from running away from the place that made him feel like he was in a dungeon. Kenji had organized everything for the fusion in a few hours, and had even reserved this particular room for the fact that chakra couldn't be detected from the outside. Naruto and Josuke had asked why he had done so, and Kenji had to explain that the excess chakra would've startled the entire village and Kenji did not feel like explaining to a "bunch of bastards who are blind to the truth" what the chakra burst had been.

Naruto looked at the ornate designs that Kenji had written with a black candle and his blood, remembering what Kenji had said the designs would do. The strange eight-point diamond would work like a large seal release that would "filter" the poison, the circle with the triangle would alter his physical body to match that of a Kitsune, the cross within a circle would keep his soul intact, and the triangle with a star inside would alter the chakra in his system as well as fix any abnormalities that he had.

Josuke hummed to himself as he sat outside of the large circle with Hinata fidgeting beside him. Hinata had asked to come and see Naruto's fusion, most likely worried that something would happen to Naruto if she wasn't present. She had been a bit queasy when she saw Kenji begin to draw with his own blood, but after a few breaths, she managed to watch as Kenji finished the last of the seals.

Suddenly a burst of black and white flames, followed closely by red and gold flames appeared suddenly near Kenji, startling the others within the room. The elder Ienari looked to see Hachiro and a newcomer appear from the flames. The newcomer was female with a long cascade of red hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore a red kimono in similarity to Hachiro's; however, hers was red with golden flames. Her seven red tails waved in a graceful manner, as her red ears swiveled from side to side checking for any intruders that might come in.

"Hachiro, Hoshi(_**Star**_) good to see you made it," Kenji answered as he shook hands with both Kitsune.

Hachiro nodded, while Hoshi smiled and gave Kenji a hug,** "It has been far too long, Rakugosha-sama. We really need to catch up on what has happened since you left Makai." **

Kenji smirked and nodded as he was let go, "Some other time, Hoshi. For now, however, we are going to make history," as he walked over to where Naruto was standing, he added, "And please call me by Kenji; I discarded the other name many years ago."

Hoshi giggled at how childish Kenji was being about his name, but decided that she would tease him later about it. Kenji soon stood in front of Naruto, and he whispered to him, "There is still time for you not to accept the fusion, Naruto. You can back out now, and no one would blame you for it."

Naruto looked at Kenji as though he had grown a second head, and shouted, "Are you crazy!? I'm going to have a family that's going to help me become a Hokage, and you're telling me to back out? I made my choice and I never go back on my word!"

Kenji smiled and nodded, "I was only giving you a choice, Naruto. I would never forgive myself if I had not at least given you a chance to fall back."

Naruto understood and soon made his way to the center of the room, where he was to stand as the two Kitsune and Kenji performed the seals that would turn him into a Han'yō. Soon he stood there, and looked at Hinata and Josuke, grinning to the pair and giving them a thumbs up, which they returned.

Kenji, Hachiro, and Hoshi then walked over to the three smaller circles that barely touched the large circle that Naruto was in. As they stood within their respective circles, they closed their eyes and began to form hand seals at a joint pace. As each seal was formed, the black lines began to writhe and wriggle as though they were alive and began to shift from black to a scorching white that soon blinded the eyes of Hinata and Josuke.

Josuke then felt something strange in the back of his head, and soon his body began to feel like it was burning from the inside out. He shouted in pain as he bent over, clutching his stomach as the burning sensation course through his body. He was barely aware of Hinata who seemed to be having the same ill effect as the fusion continued. Just as Josuke was about to howl, the chakra that had surrounded Naruto erupted outwards and knocked him and Hinata into the wall.

As the glow subsided, Naruto's voice could be heard muttering, "Damn that felt weird…"

Naruto had undergone a complete transformation: he now stood around Josuke's height rather than being his old short self. The baby fat that had been there was completely gone now, replaced now by lean muscle that with a bit of tuning, would make girls drool with lust for. Behind him waved six golden tails, and he was right now scratching a pair of fox ears of the same color as the tails. His hair had grown out to shoulder length, and seemed, if possible, spikier than it had ever been before. Naruto felt the inside of his mouth, and was surprised to feel that his canines had grown somewhat also, most likely sharp enough to bite through skin if the prick in his finger was any indication.

He turned to ask Josuke and Hinata what they thought about the new look, and his eyes widened when he saw both lying on the floor. He rushed over to them, and stopped when he saw the same red chakra was around Hinata while a white, or perhaps silver, chakra surrounded Josuke. After a moment the white chakra surrounding Josuke disappeared and he got up somewhat hesitantly and murmuring, "Man…if that's just for the fusion, I hate to see that chakra in action…"

That was when he noticed Naruto's new look and grinned, "Whoa… Naruto? That's…okay, you know what? I just don't know what to say."

That made Naruto relax a little, and he once again looked at Hinata, only to be tackled by something moving very fast. After getting his bearings, he was amazed to see that Hinata had undergone a transformation similar to his own. Four dark blue tails waved happily behind Hinata, each of them ending with a pure white tip. Her fox ears were covered slightly by her hair, which had also grown to shoulder length as Naruto's had done. Though her face was unadorned, Naruto could tell her canines most likely had also extended and sharpened. Her body had also matured a bit and she too had grown now to be around Josuke's height. The muscles on her gave her the looks of a strong and graceful warrior, and which awakened something within Naruto.

"H-hinata-chan!?" Naruto sputtered out, "Are you okay? You were on the floor and-"

But Naruto never got to finish his sentence as Hinata kissed him right in the mouth, startling him at first but finally enjoying it a bit. Josuke rolled his eyes a bit and asked the approaching adults, "Any ideas why Hinata-hime is a Kitsune now and I'm not?"

Kenji looked at Naruto, who was now nuzzling with Hinata, and cleared his throat. At that, both looked each other, quickly separated, and blushed a deep crimson. Kenji then stared at Naruto and asked, "Naruto, by any chance, were you thinking about Hinata?"

Naruto nodded, still blushing, and Kenji sighed, "So that's why…" Josuke still looked confused, and the elder Ienari explained, "You see, this particular fusion was tricky enough because it could've caused the death of Naruto if we weren't synchronized. However, there was also the chance that we could've been affected in some way considering the fact that the Kyuubi no Kitsune's chakra is one of the most volatile chakras in the known Realms," he took another sigh, "Hinata, being both human and without some sort of protection from the chakra ended up as such. You, Josuke, weren't affected because of the Ienari blood running through your veins."

Hinata, who had overcome her embarrassment, asked, "What do you mean by protection, Kenji-sensei?"

Kenji nodded to Hachiro, who produced a small black fireball in his hand and threw it at Josuke. Josuke raised his hands and closed his eyes instinctively, and the same white chakra Naruto had seen appeared around him, absorbing the black flames like a sponge did with water. Josuke opened his eyes and looked at himself as Kenji explained, "That's what I meant by protection. Josuke, like many of the true Ienari, has a secondary type of chakra that absorbs any Yōkai chakra that attacks him directly, and after I begin to teach him, he can wield as a weapon and to heal those who have been harmed by Yōkai or negative chakra. The name of this chakra is _Zenten Chakra_ _(**All Heaven Chakra**)_, and it is an occurrence that happens within those who have the blood of the Ienari."

Josuke looked at his hands for a long while, before he grinned and replied, "I can tell I'm going to go through hell to use this chakra properly…"

That made everyone laugh for a bit, but Kenji stopped the mirth as he stated, "I'm afraid that Hinata is a Han'yō like Naruto now…"

Hinata quickly got up and asked, "What do you mean?"

Kenji pinched the bridge of his nose as he answered, "You were hit by the Kyuubi's chakra at full force, without a sort of protective seal, and without the same ability as Josuke. An oversight on my part, as I thought that the protection seal I had drawn around Naruto and you would be enough to contain the Kyuubi's chakra from harming you two," Josuke was about to ask his own question again, but was stopped as Kenji continued, "However, since this room bounces the chakra and contains it, and since there were two protection seals active, Hinata's body only absorbed the chakra rather than get poisoned by it," he looked at Hinata and bowed, "I apologize for what happened and will explain everything to your father once we-"

Hinata raised her hand, cutting Kenji off, as she told him, "Kenji-sensei, you don't have to apologize. You made a mistake, that's something humans are known to do every once in a while," She blushed a little, "And to tell you the truth, I kind of like this new look…"

Kenji looked so surprised by Hinata's answer that he didn't register the others laughing at him until he regained his composure. Hinata then looked at Hachiro and Hoshi, "Hachiro-nii-san, Hoshi-nee-chan, do I have to learn the same things as Naruto-kun does now?"

Hoshi hugged the little Kitsune as she answered,** "You bet you are, and I'll be the one to teach you two how to keep yourselves in check and not give in to your instinct like you did a minute ago." **

Hinata and Naruto blushed as Josuke, Hoshi, and Hachiro had a small chuckle at their reactions. Kenji rubbed his temples as the elder Kitsune continued to explain things to the younger ones while Josuke listened with interest.

_Something like this shouldn't have happened_, he thought, _I made sure that everything was in order so that something like this wouldn't happen! _He sighed to himself, _It cannot be helped now. I will have to watch over both of them until they have been both properly trained by the Kitsune Yōkai…Hiashi is going to enjoy yelling at me…_

_**END OF CHAPTER 2**_

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_**Another long chapter, and one with a lot of talking. I got the idea for Hinata's look from one of Dragon Man 180's stories, though I decided to change a thing or two. The next chapter will have real action, I promise, and a few surprises for Team Ienari. A C-rank mission, a bunch of cannibalistic Yōkai, and a love interest for Josuke? Man I got my work cut out for me…and that's not even covering the new OC's that are going to enter… **_

_**As you all know, I'm a big Naruto/Hinata couple fan, so that's going to be one of the pairings in this story. However, for Josuke I'm going to see which one you guys want me to make him get stuck with! Here are the votes right now: **_

_**Ayame – 2 (Seems that working with her has made her have some feelings for our favorite half-Hyuga…) **_

_**Ino - 0 **_

_**Sakura - 0 **_

_**Tuschi Kin - 0 **_

_**TenTen - 0 **_

_**Tayuya – 2 (And our redheaded, foulmouthed Kunoichi from Otogakure is tied with Aya-chan! Not surprising considering the fact that she's an outcast like Naruto and Josuke…) **_

_**Other (Specify) - 0 **_

_**So it's going to be either Tayuya or Ayame depending on this and the next chapter! I can't wait to see who you guys make Josuke like! That's all for now! **_

_**Shidyk D. Shade**_


	3. Chapter 3: Attack of the Insect Yokai

**Disclaimer**: I do not, in any way or form, own any of the Naruto characters. However, I do own all made up characters of this AU.

**Bold- Biju/Yôkai talking**

_**Bold and Italic- Biju/ Yôkai thinking**_

_Italic- someone thinking/ Flashback _

_Italic and Underline- Time/location shift_

_**Bold and Italic and Underline- Translations, Title, or Narration**_

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_**Chapter 3: The C-Rank Mission – Attack of the Insect Yôkai!**_

_**What does it mean to be an outcast? What is so scary about being alone, with no one around? Is it total quiet one is given by his peers and his elders? Or is it the fact that no one can give the person what they crave for the most: Love? Whatever the answer, there is one sure fact among those who are outcasts: though they are outcasts, there are others like them...**_

Hinata gave a yawn as she stretched in her new bed at the old Uzumaki Compound. It had been about a week since Hinata, Josuke, Naruto, Kenji, and the two Kitsune had returned to the Hyuga Compound to explain what had happened to Hinata during the transformation. Needless to say the confrontation with her father had given Hinata a new perspective at how arrogant her clan was.

_Flashback_

Hiashi stared coldly at Ienari Kenji and the two Kitsune Yôkai that were by his side, each hiding the three children from the Hyuga leader's stare. He had just heard what had happened to Hinata during Naruto's transformation into a Kitsune Han'yô, and looked ready to kill the first thing that moved near him.

"So," the Hyuga asked, "what you mean to say is that my daughter, the heir of the Hyuga, is now a monster?"

Both Kitsune growled at the term, and only became quiet when Kenji spoke next, "Hinata is no monster, her body just reshaped itself in order to accommodate the excess chakra from the fusion. In other words, she was a victim of an accident, and is thus not a monster."

Hiashi snorted as he calmly stated, "Whatever way you look at it, she's become a Kitsune and can't lead the Hyuga now because of her tainted blood."

Kenji raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Tainted? Her blood is still the same, her spirit and soul the same, and yet you call her now tainted because she's become stronger than you?"

Hiashi, despite himself yelled, "She has fox tails and ears, how do you not see her as tainted and disfigured!?"

Now both of the Kitsune Yôkai and Naruto began to growl deeply, letting their ears flattened and baring their canines. Hachiro was the first to growl his question, "**Tell me, Hyuga, aren't many of these clans of Konoha children from people who may have been from different lands? Wouldn't that mean that everyone in Konoha is then tainted?**"

Kenji raised one of his arms outward as he ordered, "Enough, Hachiro, and you two as well. We are not here to start a battle with the Hyuga or Konoha!"

Hoshi continued to growl as she murmured, "**That doesn't give **_**him**_** the right to call Hinata-nee-chan a monster or make light of our kin!**"

Hiashi sneered, "Hinata-nee-chan? You accept her just like that? She's only of half-blood and yet you say that she's equal to you!?"

Hachiro bared his chest proudly as he told Hiashi, "**Unlike you, Hyuga, we know that many of times there will be one who is of the same blood, but have some that isn't. Just because they have a parentage that is not in the norm of one of the parents, does it mean that they are not equal to you because they still retain a bit of you in them? Children are never given the choice to be born, Hyuga, as a parent of a lovely kit you should know that to hate your child is to hate yourself.**"

Kenji stood in the middle of Hachiro and Hiashi, and shouted, "Enough! The matter at hand is if Hinata is to live here or if there will be another confirmation for the problem at hand!"

Both continued to stare coldly at each other for a while until Hachiro stood down. Hiashi sneered in victory, "How unlike a fox to act like a dog…"

Hachiro and Hoshi now had had enough of the Hyuga's arrogance, and charged at the Hyuga. Kenji caught them before they could grab the Hyuga leader and held them at bay as both screamed to let them go so that they could rip the Hyuga to pieces. Hiashi just watched as the Kitsune continued to struggle at the man's grip on them, showing no emotion to them.

Hinata, who like Naruto and Josuke had not said a word since they had arrived, looked at her father and bowed, "I humbly ask that I be disown from the Hyuga clan effective immediately."

Everyone in the room stood quiet for a moment, before Hoshi shouted, "**Hinata! What are you thinking!? These are the people you were born into, your kin, and you want to be disowned from them?**"

Hinata just gave a small, sad smile as she answered, "Hoshi-nee-chan, I'm causing too much trouble for everyone, and I don't want people to fight over me," she looked down as tears fell from her face adding silently," Hiashi-sama has been thinking of making Hanabi-nee-chan the heir anyway…"

Now everyone in the room began to despise Hyuga Hiashi even more than they had been, and Kenji even thought about letting the two Kitsune Yôkai attack him. However, he looked at the man and asked, "Is that well with you, Hyuga-san? After all, it leads to your decision, not ours."

Hiashi stood up and made his way to the door, and before exiting he replied in a harsh tone, "Do what you want with her. She is of no use to me."

_End of Flashback_

Hinata still felt cold at the words that her father had used to refer to her as though she was a thing rather than his own daughter. She sighed to herself and would've delved more into her sorrow had not something fast and red clutched her from the back, practically shouting, "**Good morning, Hinata-nee-chan!**"

Hinata giggled at the hug that she was being given by her new sister/mother, and answered, "Good morning, Hoshi-nee-chan."

Hoshi smiled pleasantly as she let Hinata go and soon got off the bed. She looked at the younger Kitsune and asked, "**So are you ready to go and teach me to make breakfast here in Ningenkai or do I have to burn the house down before I get the hang of it?**"

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at Hoshi's question, making the elder Kitsune pout a little at being laughed at. It turned out that Hoshi was a very good cook in Makai, and she liked to learn how to cook in different styles and blend them into her own. She had rarely met humans, and thus, knew little on how they cook or got the things that they needed for cooking. Hinata smiled as she got off the bed, "Let me get ready, and I'll show you, okay?"

Hoshi smiled pleasantly, nodded, and left Hinata to her own devices. Hinata soon made her bed, and went into her closet to pick out some of the new clothes that she and Hoshi had gotten earlier that week. Her new body had made all of her old clothes unfit for wear and so Hinata had had to go shopping for an entire new wardrobe, something that entertained the Kitsune Yôkai immensely as she used Hinata as a doll. Hinata browsed through some of the more homely outfits that she finally stopped on a casual black shirt and pants of similar taste. Hinata put the pants on carefully and slid her tails through them as she had been taught by Hoshi and Hachiro.

She looked at herself in the mirror and wondered if she should wear something else for a moment before she decided against it. Hinata soon entered the bathroom and after giving her hair and tails a quick brush, she headed towards the kitchen. While the Uzumaki Compound was not as big as the Hyuga Compound, it held the same effect of being calm and serene that a clan house had. As Hinata enjoyed the silence, a large explosion suddenly shattered it and then something slammed into the center of the garden that was near Hinata's and Hoshi's room. From a small crater, Josuke came out; who looked worse for wear, shook his hair and dusted himself off.

Josuke then noticed Hinata, "Morning, Hinata-hime. Hope you can forgive me for messing up the garden."

Hinata looked and saw that the garden could likely be fixed with a small Doton Jutsu, and replied, "Morning, Josuke-kun. Were you training with Naruto-kun again?"

Josuke shook his head as he finished getting the dirt off of him, "No, worse I was training with Ienari-sama _and_ Hachiro-san while Naruto helped me."

Hinata looked surprised and was about to ask where Naruto was when said blonde came walking from one of the halls, looking almost as bad Josuke had been a moment ago. Naruto gave a small growl as he asked, "Why the hell did you use a Suiton Jutsu!? We could've been killed if they hadn't held back in the last second!"

Josuke rub the back of his head clearly embarrassed, "I kind of panicked..."

Naruto muttered something very likely along the lines of "baka-nii-san" before he saw Hinata, and smiled, "Morning, Hinata-chan, sorry about the mess."

Hinata giggled and gave Naruto a quick kiss, before she answered, "Its okay, I'm sure Hoshi-nee-chan or Hachiro-nii-san can fix this easily."

Said male Yôkai suddenly appear before them, and looked at the two boys, shaking his head, "**Really now, you two are lucky that you are not injured from an explosion like that!**"

Josuke and Naruto shrugged and both stated in a matter-of- fact tone, "We're used to things like that happening to us."

Hachiro and Hinata both had a bit of a stunned expression as they both thought, _Just what kind of training did this two go through __before__ we/they came in…?_

Kenji soon appeared at top of one of the poles and asked, "Are there any injuries?"

Seeing and hearing that there weren't, he continued, "Then get cleaned up, you two. That's enough training for this morning. I'll meet you in the usual place."

With those words, the elder Ienari disappeared leaving the four alone once again. Suddenly three pair of stomachs growled in unison, and all of the males present gave a small cough as Hinata giggle and replied, "I'll go and make some breakfast while you three fix the garden and clean up."

Everyone nodded and soon Hachiro performed a minor Doton Jutsu that quickly fixed the garden, and both Naruto and Josuke went off to get cleaned up for breakfast. Hachiro looked up at the sky, and quickly lost himself in his thoughts of how the residents lived their lives in the Uzumaki Compound. Kenji and Hachiro taught the boys early in the morning in various Jutsus and forms of combat, Hinata and Hoshi would cook them breakfast, and after eating said breakfast, both her and the two boys would then head towards the top of an abandoned building where they would meet with Kenji for missions or a few light exercises. Once they were done there, they would do a bit more training during the afternoon before they returned to the Uzumaki Compound and did their own thing for the rest of the day.

As Hachiro finished contemplating his thoughts, he looked back in time to see a Kitsune appear behind him, his head bowed down, "**Hachiro-sama, I've come for the morning report.**"

Hachiro nodded to let the Kitsune in question continue, "**Our kin have all now accepted Naruto-sama as the heir of the Kitsune Clan and they've also accepted Hinata-hime as his mate. We are now preparing to announce the news to the other houses as we speak and we're waiting for your acknowledgement to continue.**"

Hachiro nodded at the news and was thankful that all of the Kitsune Yôkai in Makai had accepted the young Han'yô as the new heir. Now the tricky part would begin with his word, "**I acknowledge the news and I want you to proceed, but with caution. Start with our allies and then move to those neutral to us. Once that is done, we will notify the King of Makai and our enemies about our heir, and remember not to mention anything about his family here. The last thing we need is for Naruto-sama to go to war because one of his precious people was hurt.**"

The Kitsune looked up and smiled sadly, "**Is he really that much like our old lord, Hachiro-sama?**"

Hachiro smiled back as he murmured, "**More than we ever thought he would be…**" after a sigh, he ordered, "**Now go.**"

The Kitsune bowed and disappeared as Hachiro went to see if breakfast was done yet as he wondered what they were having.

_Later; at the Hokage's Tower…_

Naruto, Hinata, Josuke, and Kenji stood before the Hokage, awaiting the next set of missions after completing the previous mission of finding the rich woman's cat. Both Josuke and Naruto grumbled at the cat, since they had both been scratched several times in the face, while Hinata had carried the small cat in her arms without any problems. When they returned the pet, they all felt as though they had condemned the poor animal as they watched it being "loved" by its owner. Even Kenji, who was most of the time calm and collected, had a disturbed face when the wife took the animal from them.

"Very well," the Sandaime said, "your next missions are babysitting a minor lord's children, helping weed a garden for a farmer, dig a-"

"With due respect, Hokage-jii-san," Josuke raised his voice, and cutting the old Hokage off, "but might there not be something more…_challenging_ than just a few things that you could pay a normal civilian to do?"

Naruto and Hinata both silently agreed with Josuke, as they had wanted to test their strength against someone even a common criminal. Kenji understood their feelings and had willingly held them back to make sure that they were ready for anything that they met along the road that he would be unable to help them with if he had to do something at the time.

The Hokage looked at Kenji, whom nodded, and answered; "There is a mission a little harder for Genin fresh out of the Academy." he looked through the papers for a moment before he pullet a small stack and handed them to Kenji, "This is a C-rank mission to go and liberate a border patrol in the Land of Rice Fields for a couple of days. I was going to send a team of Chuunin, but since your team is of high caliber among the rookies, I think you can handle it."

Kenji quickly browsed through the papers and looked at the Hokage, "Team Ienari accepts this mission."

The three Genin all cheered at the news, and quickly gained their composure before their sensei turned to look at them. Kenji smirked and asked the elderly Sarutobi, "When do you wish us to depart?"

The Hokage pulled out his pipe and after putting some tobacco in it, he answered, "As soon as you see fit."

Kenji then ordered his students, "We depart in one hour, get everything ready and meet me at the North Gate before the hour is done!"

"_Ossu_ (_**Yes Sir**_)!" all three Genin shouted before they disappeared in a united cloud burst.

The Hokage looked at Kenji with a raised eyebrow, "You taught them the _Shunshin no Jutsu_ (_**Body Flicker Technique**_) already?"

Kenji smiled as he headed out the door, "They've been learning far more than what you expect, Hokage-sama. In a month, they will already have the strength and stamina of a low level Jonin."**  
**  
The Hokage's jaw drop at the statement, and wondered as Kenji closed the door behind him just what kind of training he was putting the three young Genin through to get such results. He then looked at the paperwork he still needed to finish and sighed, _So much for putting it off._**  
**  
_An hour later; at the North Gate._

Josuke tapped his foot impatiently as he, Naruto, and Hinata waited for their sensei by the gate. They had arrived a few minutes before the hour was up after packing both the essentials and a few spare clothes that they would need until they were relieved of their duty. They had also decided to go with a new look for their team and so had asked Kenji what the Ienari and the Uzumaki clan wore when they were on duty or on a mission.

The result was quite interesting for both the boys and Hinata: Josuke and Naruto wore a black jumpsuit that were reminiscent of Maito Gai's and Rock Lee's, and showed the well built muscles that both had developed from training for so long. They both wore black pants that were obviously made with both a shinobi and a normal citizen in mind. They had several pockets on them like cargo pants, but they also had a few loops on them that were like belt loops and were obviously meant to accommodate a shinobi's weaponry. The lower halves of their new uniforms were completed with a pair of black shinobi sandals and a belt. Over the top half of their suit they wore a bayish, collarless piece of adamantine armor which Kenji explained was worn to protect them from the claws/fangs/talons of many Yôkai. Drawn upon the back of the armor was a red swirl which complimented the dark on his shoes, and which was the Uzumaki clan's symbol. With Josuke's armguards and the bandages that Naruto had placed in lieu to armguards, both looked as though they were young professionals Chuunin/Jonin rather than Genin.

Naruto watched as Josuke began to pace in front of the gate and got a bit annoyed, "Josuke, can't you stop being impatient for a minute? It's not like Kenji-sensei is like that Hatake Kakashi guy."

Josuke smirked at the comment and sighed, "I know that. It's just that…it's our first C-rank mission and I want to do the perfect job."

Naruto rolled his eyes at the answer, and decided to tease Josuke a bit. He looked at him as he was about to begin his pacing, "Do you know the best way to calm down, nii-san?"

Josuke looked at Naruto and asked, "What?"

Naruto then walked over to Hinata, and let one of his arms slide to hold her around her waist, and let one of his tails wrap around one of hers. Hinata blushed and gave a small "Eep!" as she was then kissed right on the cheek, although after a moment she kissed him back and began to nuzzle him. Naruto smiled as he proclaimed, "Having a great girlfriend!"

Josuke, despite himself, laugh and relaxed a little. Just as he was about to retort with a wisecrack, the three Genin heard someone called out to Josuke. They were all surprised to see Ayame from the Ichiraku Ramen Bar running towards them. She soon stopped in front of them, catching her breath and resting from what must've been a long run for her.

Josuke looked at her and asked, "Oi, Aya-chan, what are you doing here?"

Ayame, after finally recovering her breathe, smiled and answered, "Tou-san said that you guys were heading out for your first big mission and I wanted to wish you all good luck."

Josuke smiled and thanked her for taking her time to say goodbye to them. Naruto and Hinata, however, could tell that there was something more to what Ayame really was here for. Ayame looked at Josuke and drew something from her pocket, and handed to Josuke, "Here, I made this for you. It's a good luck charm for the road."

Josuke looked at what he had been handed, and was a bit surprised to see an omamori (_**Japanese good luck charm used by Shinto deities, the one given to Josuke is a **__**Koutsu Anzen - Protection for drivers and travelers of all sorts**_) of light blue color with the kanji's "_Kami-sama watch over the one who holds this omamori_." Josuke looked up to thank Ayame, and was startled when she kissed him on the lips. Ayame blushed and ran shouting back, "Ganbatte ne Josuke-kun! (_**Good Luck, Josuke-kun**_)"

Josuke stood there blushing badly, as Naruto and Hinata smiled to each other. Naruto then elbowed Josuke and joked, "Guess that's the good luck charm she meant, ne, Josuke-nii-san?"

Josuke snapped out of his daze, and bopped Naruto on the head, "Shut up!"

As Naruto and Josuke prepared to duke it out, Kenji appeared before them, "Sorry I'm late everyone. I had to make sure I brought a small trinket with me that I like to have..."

He then saw how Josuke and Naruto were glaring and looked at Hinata, who answered, "Josuke-kun received an omamori from Ayame-chan, and he's a bit embarrassed about the other good luck charm that she gave him."

Kenji raised an eyebrow, but decided to not say anything about the matter. He cleared his throat and walked towards the gate, "Let's get going, we have a long road ahead of us, and the team watching the border is most likely waiting to be relieved."

The Genin nodded in unison, and soon disappeared with their sensei in a cloud of smoke. Unbeknown to the four, someone had been watching from a tree near the gate the entire time. The man wore a simple blue shirt, black pants combo but his hair and eyes stood far more than anything he could wear. His crimson eyes shone malignantly as he ran his hand through his purple hair and licked his lips, murmuring in a sing-song voice, "**He he he he he he…four little humans going all away, eat them all up and their gone for the day…**"

_A __few days later; near the border of the Land of Rice Fields…_

Naruto, Josuke, Hinata, and Kenji landed at the base of the forest that they had gone through to reach the border. They had relieved the previous Jonin team a few days agp and were now beginning their patrol on their side of the border. Josuke and Hinata had their _Byakugan_ active while Naruto used his sharpened senses to check out for any enemies that could be beyond their combined eyesight.

"It seems," Kenji murmured, "that the border is well protected for the time being…Let's head back to camp and rest for the day."

The three Genin nodded, and made their way back to camp through the treetops as they had done before. As they continued in their aerial trek, Josuke noticed something at the edge of his _Byakugan_-enhanced vision: two men were chasing a young girl through the treetops. Josuke then realized that something was wrong with the men's chakra: it had some purple within the light blue that made Josuke feel as though he was seeing something rot away. He then realized what the two "men" had to be.

"Ienari-sama!" Josuke shouted, "There's two Yôkai chasing a girl due west of us, fifty meters away!"

Kenji turned to Josuke, "Are you sure?"

Josuke nodded, and Kenji ordered, "Alright, our main priority is to protect the border, so we have to get rid of those Yôkai. The girl being chased must also be protected, so I want you three to watch her while I take care of the two Yôkai."

The Genin nodded in agreement and soon the four speeded off in the direction that Josuke had seen the Yôkai chasing the girl. Soon they heard a scream and a loud thump as though someone had been hit by a kunai and fallen to the forest floor. Team Ienari soon arrived in a small clearing where two men stood over a red headed girl, licking their lips with a pair of black tongue in the rough shape of a lizard's. The pair were obviously twins for they had the same black hair and purple eyes, and even wore the same gray pants.

"**Ke ke ke ke ke,**" one of the men spoke, "**She gave us a hard chase, didn't she, Warumono** (_**Bad Fellow**_)**-nii-san?"**

**The other laugh, "Kio kio kio kio kio! Indeed, Akuyuu** (**_Bad Companion_**)**-nii-san, but no one can escape a Centipede Yôkai once it's begun a hunt!"**

Both smiled maniacally as they both yelled, "**And now we feast! Itadikamasu **(_**The Japanese way of giving prayers. It roughly translates to "Thanks for the food"**_)"

Before either could bite into the girl, they were hit full on the face by a kick from Josuke and a punch from Naruto. Both Yôkai were slammed into the trees that were behind them, and fell into the floor. Josuke and Naruto stood before the fallen girl, as both Hinata and Kenji crouched to check on her.

The twin Yôkai got up and dusted themselves off as one of them, the one Josuke and Naruto thought was Akuyuu spoke, "**Warumono-nii-san, it seems that someone is bothering with our meal…**"

Warumono cracked his neck as he muttered, "**Indeed, Akuyuu-nii-san, and by the looks of it, these guys are shinobi like the girl…**"

That was when both Yôkai noticed Naruto's and Hinata's tails and ears, and the uniform that all three were wearing, and Naruto and the others were surprised when the Yôkai began to emit a clicking sound as though they had mandibles and had been enraged by something.

Akuyuu roared, "**Those clothes…those are Yôkai Hunter clothes, Warumono-nii-san!**"

"**This means…**" Warumono answered with his own roar, "**That they are from the Ienari clan of Konoha, Akuyuu-nii-san!**"

Both were soon surrounded by purple chakra as they screamed, "**AND WE HATE THE IENARI!!!!!!**"

Suddenly both Yôkai brothers shot into the air, the purple chakra surrounding the lower half of their body for a moment before it was replaced by the body of giant centipede. Their upper half had also changed as they had grown an extra set of arms, mandibles that had sprouted from the inside of their mouth clicked madly, and their eyes had both bulged turning completely bug-like in appearance.

Josuke made a face as he loudly stated, "And here I thought you two couldn't get any uglier than a moment ago."

Both Yôkai launched themselves forward, mouths agape and roaring. Naruto and Josuke dodged easily, and began to perform hand seals as the Yôkai regained their bearings.

"_Katon: Gôkakyû no Jutsu_ (_**Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique**_)!"

"_Suiton: Teppôdama_ (_**Water Release: Gunshot**_)!"

A large blue fireball, which was followed closely by four compressed balls of water, soon went after the Yôkai and hit them directly. Both Yôkai roared and stood unharmed, to the surprise of the young Genin boys. One of the Yôkai then went after Naruto, while the other headed at Josuke mouth opened and filled with blue saliva that was disgusting to look at.

"_Mukade Tsuba Wana_ (_**Centipede Saliva Trap**_)!"

Josuke and Naruto barely dodged the blue saliva that was spat at them, and both were forced to keep dodging as the Yôkai kept spitting at them. Naruto and Josuke made a small eye contact for a moment, and smiled at each other as they headed towards one another. Soon both looked as though they were about to collide, and both Yôkai spat the place were they would be. Both Genin jumped into the air and grabbed one another by one arm, and spun in the air. They soon released and headed towards one of the Yôkai, making hand seals as they neared their enemy and finally inhaling as the Yôkai prepared to blast them with the blue saliva again.

"_Katon: Karyû Endan_ (_**Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile**_)!"

"_Suiton: Suikôdan no Jutsu_ (_**Water Release: Water Shark Missile Technique**_)!"

Both Yôkai roared in pain as they swallowed the jet of blue fire and the shark-shaped water missile respectively, and both their bodies writhed in pain. Naruto and Josuke landed and ran towards each other, stopping back to back and readying their own kunai in case the Yôkai intended to continue.

One of the Yôkai, the one Naruto had burned badly, choked out as he reached out for his brother, "**Warumono-nii-san…!**"

Warumono watched as Akuyuu then fell into the ground and lay there, unmoving. Warumono roared at the Genin as he declared, "**YOU BASTARDS!!! HOW DARE YOU KILL MY BROTHER!?**"

Warumono never got near the pair as Kenji suddenly appeared the injured Centipede Yôkai, and pulling a sword from within his cloak, slashed at him in a blinding speed. Warumono was literally torn apart as his arms, head, and body were cut into small chunks of flesh and blood.

As Kenji cleaned his blade, he looked at Naruto and Josuke, and asked, "Didn't I order for you two to watch over the girl with Hinata, while _I_ handled the Yôkai?"

Both Naruto and Josuke smiled sheepishly as Josuke answered, "Sorry, Ienari-sama, I guess we were a little excited at the idea of fighting Yôkai…"

Kenji shook his head and sighed, telling both, "Listen, you two, when I tell you to hang back, _I mean it_. This two were weaklings, but had they been a stronger class of Yôkai, you would've most likely been injured or worse!"

Both Naruto and Josuke hung their head in shame, and muttered, "Sorry, sensei…"

Kenji sighed again, and smirked, "But…you did well in fighting them, so I will let it slide," seeing both look up, he added, "But only for this one time, if you don't follow orders again, I will have to make our spars more frequent, understood?"

Both boys paled and quickly agreed not to go against orders again. Kenji then walked over to Hinata and asked, "How is she?"

Hinata looked up from where she had been placing cream on the girl's shoulder, "She'll be okay. She was knocked out by some sort of poison those two must've had, but I used Hoshi-nee-chan's medicinal cream to close the wound and stop the poison."

Kenji nodded, "Good thinking, Hinata. Hoshi always was good at healing and any Jutsu that pertained to medicine."

Hinata blushed at the compliment, and packed the medicinal cream back into the scroll she had summoned it from. Naruto and Josuke poked at the carcass of Akuyuu for a while, and both gave out gasps as the body dissolved when they had touched it with a stick they had each found. Kenji frowned and looked at the remains of Warumono and his eyebrows rose as he noticed the same thing happened to it.

_Something isn't right_, he thought, _Yôkai, especially insect Yôkai, don't just turn to dust if they are hit by a few Katon and Suiton Jutsus…_

He looked around and let his senses wander to see if he could find anything or anyone. When he found nothing, Kenji turned to his team, "Let's head back to camp. We'll take care of the girl there."

The three Genin nodded, and Josuke grabbed one of the girl's arms as Naruto reached for the other. Before Naruto could touch the girl, Josuke let out a yell of pain as his _Zenten chakra_ suddenly appeared and ran through the girl's arm, acting a lot like a living white snake. It arched for a moment above the girl's head before it slammed into the base of her neck, making her scream in perfect unison with Josuke.

Naruto and Hinata were about to make Josuke let go, but Kenji stopped them, "Don't! Josuke is right now connected with the girl! If we try anything to separate them, it could mean both of their lives!"

Naruto and Hinata paled at the news, and watched helplessly as the girl and Josuke continued to scream in unison. Soon the screaming began to lessen, until both finally fell to their knees and the girl fell face first to the ground. Josuke stood there breathing heavily, as though he had just seen a ghost.

"Oi, Josuke," Naruto asked, "You okay?"

Josuke looked at Naruto and after letting out a breath he answered, "I-I think so…what happened?"

Kenji looked at Josuke and then at the girl with a look of concern written all over his face. He knelt down and moved the girl's hair out of the way and murmured, "I think I know…"

All three Genin were then greeted by the sight of an odd mark on the girl's neck that resembled a triskelion. Kenji explained, "This is a _Juin Jutsu _(_**Cursed Seal Technique**_), and a powerful one at that. These kinds of seals were once used to create powerful warriors that could take on armies easily because of the forced increase of chakra that the seal produced. Usually a person who has been infected by a Yôkai venom of one kind or another created a special type of enzyme that infected their body and reproduced within it. The infected victim would at times be used to create a specially refined enzyme that would then be used to create the seals. The seal, however, had one major flaw: it deteriorated the user's body until they died from overuse."

Naruto, Hinata, and Josuke's eyes widened at the explanation, and they all looked at the girl as Kenji murmured, "What worries me is not only _who_ made the seal, but _how_ considering the art of creating a _Juin Jutsu_ was lost over two centuries ago…"

Hinata looked at the setting sun for a moment and replied, "Kenji-sensei, maybe we should go to camp now…"

Kenji looked up from his thoughts and nodded, "True, we can't stay here forever."

With that Josuke and Naruto grabbed the girl's arms and slung them over their shoulders, and headed for camp with Hinata and Kenji, none of them aware of the two figures watching from the branches above. Soon both figures jumped down from the branches and looked at the place where the bodies of the Yôkai had been a moment ago.

The first of the two, one that looked exactly like a jester, moved his hand before his face and the mask changed from a pleasant smile to one of surprise, "**Oh my…they couldn't even take on the children? Woe to the fallen and praise to the living!**"

The other figure, a giant thin man, rolled his eyes, "**Will you cut the crap out, Ikasama** (_**Trickery**_)**? You give me a headache whenever you say stupid things like that.**"

Ikasama let out a snort as he waved his hand to change his mask to one with a tear and a frown, "**You hurt me so, Osore-chan **(_**Fear, and as you can tell Ikasama is teasing him by using the "chan" title**_)**! I was only being a bit dramatic…**"

Osore frowned and growled, "**Just shut up, your voice is annoying enough, and call me 'Osore-chan' and I will make you eat your own organs.**"

Ikasama shrugged as he waved his hand and changed it back to the smile, "**So now the spider is going to be sent, correct?**"

Osore nodded, "**Yeah, and hopefully he'll get rid of the Ienari brat first. That kid gives **_**me**_** the willies, and I'm fear incarnate for Kami's sake!**"

Ikasama moved his hand near his lip as he chuckled, "**Fear being afraid? That sounds so funny!**"

Osore growled again, "**Shut up, bastard! Now…how are we going to get rid of Rakugosha? The spider Yôkai may be strong, but he's no match for him.**"

Ikasama gave another chuckle as he answered, "**Oh, it's quite simple actually: we set some bait, and make him chase!**"

Osore smiled, "**Good thinking. If he senses one of our chakra he's bound to go and investigate.**"

With that both Osore and Ikasama disappeared, preparing the trap that they had in store for Kenji and his team.

_Later; at camp…_

The redheaded girl gave a moan as she finally began to wake up from her unconscious state. She blinked a few times trying to focus her eyes, and was surprised to find herself inside a tent and with one of her arms in a sling. She looked around for her flute and lay back quickly when she saw the flap of the tent began to open and acted as though she was asleep. She cracked her eyes slightly to see who it was that entered, and was surprised to see a brown-haired guy with a small tray of food with him. She blushed slightly when she saw how well toned his muscles were and jumped when he asked, "How do you feel?"

After regaining her composure, she watched him carefully before answering, "Fine…"

Josuke smiled, "That's good to hear. Here I got you some dinner since you're probably hungry."

"I'm not!" the girl retorted, and blushed when her stomach growled very loudly.

Josuke chuckled as he sat down and replied, "From what your stomach is saying, I beg to differ."

The girl muttered a few curses before she sat up, and grabbed the chopsticks to eat. With an "Itadikamasu" she began to eat, only to stop a moment her eyes widening. Josuke was a bit confused to her reaction, "Did I add too much spice?"

She looked at him and yelled, "You cooked this!?"

Josuke was a bit taken aback, but nodded, and was surprised to see her cry in joy as she loudly exclaimed, "This has to be the best food I've ever tasted!"

She then began to stuff herself at a rapid pace, making Josuke laugh at how well she imitated Naruto when he ate ramen. He jumped back a little when she held the now empty tray, "If you got more, bring it! This stuff is incredible!"

Josuke smiled, making the girl blush, "Hai, hai, I'll see if there's still a little left," as he exited the tent he looked back and asked, "So what's your name?"

The girl looked at him, "Tayuya."

Josuke nodded, as he adjusted his sunglasses, "Mine's Josuke. Ienari Josuke."

With those words, Josuke left Tayuya alone to her thoughts. Tayuya tried to remember what had happened to her to be here, _Okay…let's see…I went for a walk to get away from all the shitheads that were back at the base. Then I got jumped by those two psychos and they spat some weird blue stuff and I fell to the forest floor. Well at least I know why my arm is like this, but why do I feel different…? I feel like I was cleaned or something…wait…I can't feel the Juin Jutsu in my neck!!!_

She focused her chakra around the base of the neck, and was surprised when she didn't head into the first level of the seal. She then began to remember things that she thought she had forgotten: her mother dying in front of her, meeting a man that looked like a snake (_**Guess who?**_), helping the man recruit others with great skills, killing people for the man, and then finally seeing herself cry while she was alone. Tayuya began to quiver as her memories flooded back, and she let her knees rise to her chest as she held them with her good arm.

She then began to see memories of someone else, and realized that it was the memories of Josuke. She saw him as a small kid almost getting killed by a man with pearl eyes, she saw him hunting a rabbit and trying his best to skin it, she saw his first meeting with Naruto, and the memories kept coming. She realized that every memory had a bit of hate, whether it was from a villager or from those people with the pearl eyes. She saw how great their hate was and realized that even though Josuke was smiling and always laughed, he still held some fear of the people who had hated him and Naruto.

_Oh Kami…_she thought, _this guy…he's been living behind a mask like that blonde idiot in his memories. How could they even stand the idea of living in a place that hates their guts?_

As if in answer, the memories of being with Iruka, Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ayame, Teuchi, the Hokage, and recently Kenji flood her eyes. Each of them were smiling or laughing, and they were all true laughs or smile whenever she looked at them. Tayuya, despite herself, began to cry as she smiled sadly.

_That baka doesn't care…he doesn't care if everyone in his village hates him. He only cares about the people that don't see him or his brother as freaks…I wish I had had people like that…_

Josuke opened the tent and stated, "You're in luck! We had some left in the-"

That's when he saw Tayuya crying, and wondered what was going on. He set the tray beside her, sat down, and asked, "Are you alright, Tayuya-chan?"

Tayuya looked Josuke and then back down, muttering, "It's nothing…thanks for the food…"

Josuke sighed, and looked at her seriously, "Listen, I was given the job to watch over you and make sure you're comfortable until you've healed up. If you're crying, something is in your mind and I want to know what so that I can make you feel better."

That was all Tayuya could bear, and she did something her old self would've found weak: she hugged Josuke with her good arm and cried on his shoulder. Josuke was surprised at the action, but after a moment he began to soothe Tayuya as she cried on his shoulder, "Its okay, Tayuya-chan, its okay. I'm sure everything will be okay…"

Tayuya cried for a few more minutes before she let go of Josuke and told him, "Er…sorry about that. Just get the hell out so I can eat in peace, okay?"

Josuke smiled and nodded, getting ready to leave, but got grabbed by Tayuya. He looked at her curiously, "You know…when someone says leave they mean for someone to go away. So unless leave means something else where you come from, I'm going to have to say you want me here."

Tayuya blushed and let go, muttering, "Listen…can I ask you a couple of questions?"

Josuke shrugged, "I don't see why not."

Tayuya took a deep breath and asked, "Why the hell can't I feel my _Juin Jutsu_ and why were your fucking memories inside my head?"

Josuke looked a bit stunned at the way she worded her question, but he recovered, "Well the first question is kind of easier to answer than the second. You see, I have a secondary chakra known as _Zenten chakra_ and it absorbs and purifies Yôkai chakra or anything related to Yôkai. Ienari-sama explained to me that my _Zenten chakra_ reacts to anything that is Yôkai and foreign to me and absorbs or purifies the person or Yôkai that it senses."

Tayuya looked completely confused, and Josuke decided to show her. He focused his chakra to his hand, and soon the _Zenten chakra_ surrounded Josuke's hand. Tayuya let out a gasp and reached out to it, hypnotized by the beauty and foreign feel that the chakra held and gave off. When her hand touched it, she felt oddly at peace with herself and didn't let go until Josuke stopped focusing chakra into his hand.

Just then Naruto came in and asked, "Oi, Josuke do you mind helping me with the plates?"

He then saw Tayuya holding Josuke's hand and grinned, "Oh, sorry. Didn't know I was interrupting a tender moment, I'll just leave you lovebirds alone."

Josuke and Tayuya let go quickly, and Tayuya soon threw one of the chopsticks with intense force. Naruto caught it easily with one of his tails, but was caught off guard when Josuke bopped him on the head. Naruto let out a yelp of pain, before he was grabbed by Josuke, whom dragged him outside, leaving Tayuya behind alone.

Naruto let out a series of yelps as Josuke practically knocked him on the head several times yelling, "YOU BAKA!!! WHY THE HELL DID YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF HER!?"

Naruto continued to apologize to Josuke until Kenji came to see what was going on. When he saw Josuke beating Naruto on the head, he guessed that Naruto must've made fun of Josuke in some way for him to have yelled like that. Kenji separated the two and asked, "What's going on?"

Josuke bowed as he answered, "I'm sorry, Ienari-sama! I kind of blew my top when Naruto-nii-san interrupted a small conversation I was having with Tayuya-chan!"

Kenji looked at Josuke with some mirth, "Tayuya-chan? Is that the girl's name?"

Josuke nodded, "She said that she was experiencing my memories as well as her own, though I have no idea as to how she could experience mine."

Kenji looked thoughtful for a moment, and was about to answer when they all felt a surge of chakra come from the distance. Kenji's eyes widened when he recognized the chakra signature, _It can't be…why are they here!?_

Kenji then ordered, "Naruto, Josuke, Hinata! I want you three to watch over the camp while I go and check that chakra surge!"

With those words, Kenji disappeared, leaving Naruto, Josuke, and Hinata alone at camp. Josuke looked ready to follow, but was stopped by Naruto reminding him about what would happen should they disobey orders again.

Josuke blanched and decided to help Naruto with the dishes. Hinata went to check on Tayuya, and was amazed when she saw her up and looking for something inside the tent.

Hinata asked, "Umm…Tayuya-chan, what are you looking for?"

Tayuya looked at the Kitsune Han'yô and asked, "Have you seen my flute?"

Hinata shook her head, "We didn't see any flute with you…"

Tayuya cursed, "Shit, I must've lost in the forest somewhere…"

Hinata smiled as she reassured Tayuya, "Don't worry, we can look for it tomorrow when there is some light out-"

Suddenly both heard Naruto let out a yell of pain as Josuke shouted his name in alarm. Both headed out of the tent and were greeted by the sight of the camp covered in a sickly yellow web-like substance. Standing at the center of the camp were an injured Naruto and Josuke fighting a man with purple hair and crimson eyes, who was chuckling to himself and whom Hinata knew somehow was a Yôkai.

The man laughed aloud as he shouted, "**Pathetic! I was expecting at least one of you two to make me go into my Yôkai form and yet you haven't even been able to touch me, while I already have your camp trapped!**"

Josuke then saw Hinata and Tayuya, "Hinata-hime, watch over Tayuya-chan! Naruto and I can handle this guy!"

The purple-haired maniac laugh, "**Handle me!? Handle the great Dokukei **(_**Venom**_) **when your friend is injured and you have yet to hit me!?**"

Josuke smiled as he stated, "_Never_ underestimate someone until you know all their tricks, baka."

Dokukei looked confused and then looked back in time to see the clones that Naruto had made while he had been distracted. He smirked as he stated, "**A good idea, but worthless in the effort...**"

Suddenly Dokukei became a blur and the clones dispersed as he reappeared above one of the tents. He smiled as he showed the Genin one of his hands, which now looked more like a claw with how long the nails had grown. He laughed again and asked, "**So do you still think you can beat me!? I've already proven the fact that I'm faster and stronger than any of you little punks!**"

Josuke smiled as he stood up and proclaimed, "You may be faster and stronger than any of us independently, but we still haven't shown you our true teamwork!"

Dokukei laughed even harder than before, "**True teamwork!? That's a good one! Okay, then show me this so-called teamwork of yours!**"

He gasped when he realized that Josuke was now behind him, and as he turned he heard him say, "With pleasure…"

"_Makazeken: Shichi Gami Kyuuten!_ (_**Evil Wind Fist: Seven Graceful Heavens**_)"

Dokukei had enough time to see Josuke's arm for a minute before he was pummeled by seven consecutive strikes from Josuke's fist. As Dokukei was launched backwards, Naruto jumped into the air, creating some clones as he reached the top of his jump. Naruto then came down with clones each of them having their legs above their heads as far as they could put them.

"_Uzumaki Bakugeki Rendan!_ (_**Uzumaki Bombing Barrage**_)"

Dokukei was slammed by four powerful downward kicks, and bounced off the ground from the power behind the kick. As Naruto came down to strike at Dokukei, the Yôkai regained his bearing and jumped out of Naruto's incoming attack. He then realized that his back was now exposed to the girl Kitsune, and was unable to react when he saw her in an attacking pose that he recognized as the Jūken fighting style.

"_Hakke Rokujūyon Shō!_ (_**Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms**_)"

Soon Hinata delivered two strikes to the Yôkai's body, then four followed, then eight, then sixteen, then thirty two, and finally sixty four blurred strikes hit the Yôkai. Dokukei's eyes widened as he was practically thrown from the force of the attack, thinking, _**What the hell is going on!? These brats are handing me my own ass like it's nothing! Osore-sama and Ikasama-sama didn't say that they were holding back!**_

Dokukei flipped in the air and landed on all fours, keeping an eye on all three Genin. As he was about to remark, the Yôkai's chest suddenly collapsed in itself, and he fell to his knees. Josuke grinned as he asked, "Still think that we're not being serious?"

Dokukei growled out, "**Bastard…I'll kill you damn brats!**"

Dokukei was then surrounded in the same purple chakra that the Centipede Yôkai had been before they had transformed. Dokukei then emerged now larger than he had been before, a spider's body now replacing his lower half. Four long arms appear on his upper body, and a pair of fangs had been added to his mouth, both dripping venom.

Dokukei looked at the three and smirked, "**Congratulations, you have now officially pissed me off!**"

With those words, Dokukei jumped into the air aiming at the three with his gigantic lower half. Hinata and Naruto formed hand seals at a rapid pace and soon finished as both shouted, "_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!_"

Two blue fireballs met the Yôkai in mid-flight, and exploded with intense strength. The Yôkai soon emerged from the smoke; somewhat burned and even angrier than he had been a moment ago. Dokukei then noticed that Josuke was rushing at him and so he spat the same yellow web from his mouth. Josuke masterfully dodged the web and jumped into the air, his _Zenten chakra_ gathering around one of his hands as he pulled back. Dokukei's arms shot out to stop him, but only grasped a log as he captured "Josuke."

"_Makazeken: Hantei Hirate!_ (_**Evil Wind Fist: Judgment Palm**_)"

Dokukei roared in pain as Josuke touched the back of his upper body with his _Zenten chakra_ filled palm. He shuddered for a moment before he fell into the floor, dead. Josuke breathed hard as he got off the carcass of the giant Spider Yôkai, muttering, "I really…need to build up my stamina…for that Taijutsu style…"

Tayuya just stood in amazement after seeing the three fight her thoughts mostly sticking to Josuke. She blushed when one of him and her in a bed passed through, and she shook her head, _What the hell!? I only just met him! Why the hell did I just have a damn perverted thought like that!?_

None of the Konoha Genin noticed this, as both Hinata and Naruto helped a tired Josuke up. Tayuya walked over to them and asked, "If you three could fight like that, why the hell didn't you?"

Josuke grinned as he explained, "We didn't know how strong he was until a few minutes ago."

Tayuya looked confused as Naruto clarified, "He means that we didn't fight like that because we didn't know how strong he really was. Josuke-nii-san can tell how strong someone is by fighting them for at least three minutes, and then he can pretty much beat them."

"But then how come you weren't fighting seriously?" she asked.

Josuke decided to answer for Naruto, "He waited to see if I got serious. If I did, Naruto-nii-san knew that he had to stop holding back."

Tayuya was by now speechless, and remained like that until Kenji returned and asked what had happened to the camp. After they had cleaned up, they decided to rest for the remainder of the night.

_A few miles away..._

Osore slammed his fist into the tree beside him, cursing, "**Damn it all! Even that stupid bug couldn't take care of the brats!**"

Ikasama looked at his partner and stated, "**Spiders aren't bugs, Osore-chan, they're arachnids and have nothing in common with bugs.**"

Osore gritted his teeth and muttered, "**I don't care if they're related to your damn grandmother! That fool was supposed to get rid of the brats and yet he gets killed by a bunch of filthy half-bloods!**"

Ikasama sighed and his mask changed to one of a frown, "**This does present a problem, though. The Master will not be pleased when he hears that they passed with flying colors…**"

Osore grunted, "**Don't remind me. It's bad enough we work for that bastard, but now we have to go see him in person every time something like this happens…**"

Ikasama shrugged as he replied, "**Well at least we are not those humans he uses…Those Akatsuki guys have the worst taste in clothing.**"

Osore pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered under his breath, "**Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts…think of destruction, mauling an innocent woman, seeing a creature's face when you're about to kill it…**"

Ikasama giggle as he heard Osore chant, "**You have such strange notions, Osore-chan**," he grew serious, "**But let's not dally any longer, we were lucky Rakugosha didn't sense us after he got our signature.**"

Osore nodded, and both disappeared into thin air.

_The next day…_

Tayuya looked at the team from Konoha as they finished packing up, preparing to be relieved by a team of Jonin. She had healed extremely fast, and was also preparing to leave herself back to the base. A part of her, however, wanted to go with the team as she had grown fond of them, especially Josuke. She shook the perverted thoughts out of her head, and muttered on how she really needed a life.

She then noticed Josuke coming to her, hiding something behind his back. She looked at him and told him, "If you're going to give me flowers, then forget it."

Josuke laughed, "I think this will do instead."

He then pulled out his arm to show Tayuya a blue omamori. Josuke smiled as he stated, "This is so that you have a safe trip home."

Tayuya looked at the omamori, blushed a little, and muttered her thanks before taking it. She looked at it and asked, "Aren't you going to need it?"

Josuke shook his head, "Nah, I'll be fine since I'm with my people who can watch me and themselves if things get too dangerous."

Tayuya smirked at that, and nodded at that, muttering to herself, "Wish I could say the same for me…"

Josuke raised one of his eyebrow in curiosity, "Come again?"

Tayuya blushed, and shouted, "I said that I wish I had gotten you a gift!"

She quickly slapped a hand to her mouth, thinking, _Shit! Why did I say that for!?_

Josuke laughed as he told Tayuya, "No worries, I don't need a gift long as I know you're okay."

Tayuya wondered if a blush could hide another blush when she felt her face. Suddenly an idea popped into her head as to how he could outdo Josuke, "Actually…I think I know what I can give you…"

Josuke looked confused, and he was startled when Tayuya kissed him on the lips just as Ayame had done a few days ago. Josuke was redder than Tayuya's hair and Tayuya was the one now grinning. She turned around and waved to him, "Let's meet up again sometime, Josuke-kun, Ja ne (_**Later**_)!"

Josuke just stood there for a moment before he shook his head, and wondered aloud, "Why do all the girls that like me always kiss me in the lips…?"

_**END OF CHAPTER 3  
**_**  
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Another long chapter... I think I'm getting the hang of writing twenty pages or so now. The Centipede and Spider Yôkai were an idea from Inuyasha, which has some pretty decent monsters once you look through the pages. Tayuya makes her first appearance and actually has feelings for our half-Hyuga? And who the hell are Osore and Ikasama, and what's their connection to the Akatsuki? The next chapter is, of course, the start of the Chuunin Exams!

As you all know, I'm a big Naruto/Hinata couple fan, so that's going to be one of the pairings in this story. However, for Josuke I'm going to see which one you guys want me to make him get stuck with! Here are the votes right now:

Ayame - 4

Ino - 0

Sakura - 0

Tuschi Kin - 0

TenTen - 0

Tayuya - 4

Other (Specify) - 0

It seems that both Ayame and Tayuya are going to be the lovers of Josuke! Anyway, with this chapter, however, I'll close the votes so if you want to vote better be now or never! Oh and if there is anyone out there who is an artist, then could you draw a picture of Josuke? I work best if I have an image of a character with me to help me.

That's all for now!

_**Shidyk D. Shade**_


	4. Chapter 4: The Chuunin Exams Part 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not, in any way or form, own any of the Naruto characters. However, I do own all made up characters of this AU.

**Bold- Biju/Yôkai talking**

**_Bold and Italic- Biju/ Yôkai thinking_**

_Italic- someone thinking/ Flashback _

_Italic and Underline- Time/location shift_

**_Bold and Italic and Underline- Translations, Title, or Narration_**

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

**_Chapter 4: The Chuunin Exams- Enter Sabaku no Gaara!_**

**_What does it mean to be an outcast? What is so scary about being alone, with no one around? Is it total quiet one is given by his peers and his elders? Or is it the fact that no one can give the person what they crave for the most: Love? Whatever the answer, there is one sure fact among those who are outcasts: though they are outcasts, there are others like them.._**

Tayuya muttered a few curses as she massaged her aching body, and practically limped towards her room. Ever since a week ago when she had lost her seal, things had not been going easy for the redheaded Kunoichi. In her usual practice with the Sound Four, she lagged behind in nearly everything. Her speed, strength, and chakra had all basically drop all the way to zero, and even Jirobo, the weakest of the Four, found it easy to beat her. She had been able to come up with a few excuses that had kept them, Kabuto, and Orochimaru from discovering that her seal had been destroyed but she could tell that she would have to do two things soon: she could either tell them what had had happened, or she could get out of Otogakure no Sato and head to Konoha.

Tayuya muttered a few more curses, and blushed remembering the dreams she had been having with her, Josuke, and several romantic/perverted motifs. As she mentally yelled at herself to stop doing that, she heard Orochimaru's voice, "So you will give me a small force of Yôkai as long as I help you two to kill one man?"

Tayuya, despite herself, decided to hear what was going on. She leaned against the wall just as a voice answered, "**Right, so long as you attack Konoha with the forces of Oto and Suna, we'll be able to attack right alongside.**"

Another voice, one that made Tayuya shiver when she heard it, added, "**However, Oro-chan, you must realize that we personally can't help you kill every single person.**"

"Why not?" asked another voice that Tayuya recognized as Kabuto's.

The second voice answered, "**Simple: our Master told us to hang back unless Rakugosha the Traveler defends Konoha and even then we have specific orders to only kill him and bring the Ienari he's training to him.**"

Orochimaru's voice told Tayuya that he was intrigued, "There's an Ienari alive? Interesting…"

The first voice growled, "**Don't even think of trying to place a ****_Juin Jutsu_**** on the Ienari, human. That brat's chakra would make the seal you place upon him useless and then you would have to answer to our boss.**"

Kabuto then asked, "Why is that? I know that the Ienari had a second type of chakra that they used when they fought Yôkai, but I don't see how it could neutralize the _Juin Jutsu_ so easily."

The second voice laughed, "**So many fools in this world! ****_Zenten chakra_**** isn't normal chakra, Kabuto-chan, it is a special type of chakra that is similar to a Celestial beings' own, and their chakra is the only kind that could ever negate a Yôkai's. Since the seals were made from Yôkai venom to begin with, an Ienari could easily destroy the seal by just calling out their ****_Zenten chakra_**"

Tayuya had heard enough, and knew she had to get out of Oto if she didn't want Orochimaru to start thinking that perhaps that was why she had been acting strangely. She quietly moved away and headed towards her room, all the while thinking of the best way to get out of Oto without being detected. She entered her room, and quickly began to pack up the provisions that would be necessary for her the trip to Konoha. As she finished packing, she noticed a man with jester clothing and a mask sitting atop her dresser, twiddling his small scepter around his hand.

Tayuya pulled out a kunai, but suddenly froze when the guy appeared behind her, "**Oh my, you heard everything that we just said, didn't you?**"

After a minute, Tayuya found her voice, "What are you going to do?"

Tayuya, for a moment, thought that she was going to die, when she heard him say, "**If I killed you, then the Master would blame me and Osore-chan for letting the snake use his beloved children, don't you know? That's why you're going to Konoha, and you're going to warn every person there about Oro-chan's attack, right?**"

Tayuya's eyes widened when she realized what he was asking her to do, "You _want_ me to go to Konoha?"

The jester chuckled, "**Exactly. The Master never like giving away his precious Yôkai to anyone, especially a human like Oro-chan. So he's planning to send weaklings with the force that Oro-chan has while we go and kill the man we just mentioned. We need a messenger in order for Konoha to retaliate properly, so guess whose job that is?**"

Tayuya swallowed as the jester moved his scepter away from her back, and began to do a few hand seals. Suddenly a large hole appear on the wall of the next to them, and the jester pointed towards it, "**This will take you to the border quickly and it should take a few hours to reach Konoha if you go do southwest from where you land. Now go and tell Rakugosha-chan hi from Ikasama and Osore-chan, okay?**"

Tayuya didn't need to be told twice, and after grabbing her bag, she dove into the portal, which closed behind her. Ikasama chuckled again as he exited the room, **_Humans are so much fun to mess with…_**

_Konoha streets, at that moment…_

Hinata watched as Josuke and Naruto played ninja with Konohamaru and his friends, Moegi and Udon. It had been about a week since their mission and they had been enjoying some leisure time that Kenji had decided they needed after having fought Yôkai and practiced near nonstop since they had come back. Hoshi, the Sandaime, and Hachiro had all been impressed that the group had taken down two Centipede Yôkai and a Spider Yôkai without the aid of Kenji. Hoshi was extremely glad that her medical cream had worked so well for them that she had shown Hinata how to make it for herself for future missions.

Josuke tagged Naruto by one of his tails and shouted; "Now you're it, Naruto!"

Naruto groaned about it for a moment and was about to say that it didn't count since it touched his tail when they all heard a very familiar voice, "Well, well if it isn't Team Freak Show…"

Josuke and Naruto gritted their teeth at the sound of Uchiha Sasuke's voice. Ever since Naruto and Hinata had become a Kitsune Han'yô, Sasuke had never passed the chance at calling them monsters or freaks because of their new heritage. Josuke, on the other hand, couldn't stand Sasuke for the fact that when they were still in the Academy; Sasuke had intentionally set off one of their special rainbow bombs and had put the blame on the two and had cost Naruto and Josuke plenty of training time. Not only that but Josuke hated anyone with a vengeance who deemed people with two different bloodlines or heritage as disgusting.

Naruto gave a growl as he asked, "Who invited you here, Sasuke-teme?"

Sasuke leered at Naruto and sneered, "I was passing through, and I saw a pathetic bunch that just needed to be told how inferior they are."

Josuke, although angry, smirked, "Naruto is the great and mighty Uchiha Sasuke-chan, actually talking to us? I could've sworn that he's talking, but I can't hear anything."

That made Naruto smiled and chuckle, as well as sending the Konohamaru Corps into peels of laughter. Sasuke frowned and would've commented more had not his teammate, Tategami Kekoa (_**Kekoa's last name means "Mane" like a lion's mane, but for the purpose of this story, it is a combination of the words Shield and God. His first name is Hawaiian which means "brave warrior"**_) suddenly appear beside him. He was wearing a blue, sleeveless shirt over a net shirt with the kanji for fireworks on it, while his long, white pants were shoved into his blue sandals. He adjusted the headband on his forehead, and told Sasuke after a few coughs, "Oi, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei wants us to meet him at the bridge for something important."

Sasuke gave a nod to Kekoa who saw Josuke, Hinata, and Naruto gave a small smile, "Long time no see, you three. How's paradise treating ya?"

Team Ienari couldn't help but smile at how laidback Kekoa was around them. In the Academy, Kekoa had been one of the few students who didn't degrade Naruto or Josuke, and had been in fact a good friend to the duo. No one other than the three knew that Kekoa was actually the guy who supplied Naruto and Josuke with a lot of their special rainbow bombs, once he was taught the secret that is. Kekoa lived with his grandparents as his parents had died protecting the village from the Kyuubi no Kitsune. He had taken up his grandfather's fireworks business and was a pyrotechnic genius when it came to inventing the most colorful and destructive fireworks anyone had ever seen.

Josuke and Naruto nodded back, while Hinata greeted Kekoa, "Hello Kekoa-kun, how have you been?"

Kekoa shrugged and gave a "Okay" for an answer, before seeing his teammate glare at him. Sighing, he and Sasuke parted ways with Team Ienari and the Konohamaru Corps. All of them couldn't help feeling sorry for Kekoa for being on the same team with Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura, one of Sasuke's fan girls and the former vice-president of the "Uchiha Sasuke Fan Club."

As Naruto and Josuke got ready to continue to play with Konohamaru and his friends, they saw their sensei appear before them. Kenji nodded his head in greeting to the Konohamaru Corps and looked to his students, "I've just recommended you three to the Chuunin Selection Exam, and I wanted to give you your validation passes."

Josuke and Naruto eagerly grabbed their passes while Hinata took hers with a bit more calm than the two boys. Josuke and Naruto grinned and gave each other a high five, proclaiming, "ALRIGHT, I'M EVEN CLOSER TO BECOMING HOKAGE/SANNIN!!!"

Hinata giggled at their actions, and then asked Kenji, "Kenji-sensei, when is the Chuunin Exams?"

Kenji looked at Hinata and answered, "In two days time. You need to head to the Academy where the first part of the exam will be taken at the time."

With those words, the leader of Team Ienari disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared. Naruto then grabbed Hinata and Josuke by their arms and shouted, "Come on let's go get some ramen to celebrate!"

Josuke rolled his eyes, while Hinata laughed as they were both dragged towards Ichiraku. As they neared the Ramen Bar, Josuke caught sight of the last person he thought would be in Konoha: Tayuya. He smiled and waved as he greeted her, "Tayuya-chan, it's been a while!"

Tayuya looked for the source of the greeting and upon seeing Team Ienari ran over to them. As she neared them, she tripped on a small stone, and began to fall towards the ground. As she was about to hit it, Josuke quickly grabbed her before she completely fell. Josuke and Tayuya both blushed when they both noticed where Josuke's hand was place on her chest. Josuke quickly let go, allowing Tayuya to get up just as quickly and slapping him right across the face shouting, "YOU DAMN HENTAI (_**Pervert**_)!!! WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?"

Josuke massaged his face as he muttered, "I was only trying to stop you from falling…"

Naruto, in the meantime, clutched his stomach as he laughed at Josuke's predicament. Hinata, on the other hand, decided to ask the question that Josuke probably would've asked, "Tayuya-chan, why are you in Konoha?"

Tayuya soon remembered why she had come to the village, "Listen, I need you three to take me to your Hokage as fast as you can!"

Josuke, after recovering from the slap, asked, "Why do you want to see Hokage-jii-san?"

Tayuya rolled her eyes as she exclaimed, "Because a damn fucking invasion is coming you baka!"

_Same time; at the North Gate…_

A redheaded boy looked at the gates of Konoha with a cold, hard face. He and his teammates had traveled from Suna for three days for the Chuunin Exams, and he was getting impatient. He pulled on the strap that held his large gourd and frowned as he began to enter Konoha. His teammates, a blonde girl carrying a large fan and a guy in a black suit that had cat-like ears at the top, followed him at a bit of a distance sensing his impatience.

As the redhead took the first few steps in, he sensed something strange in the air. He looked around wondering what would make him feel uneasy, and more importantly, the creature that lived in him somewhat afraid.

The blonde girl saw the redhead's discomfort and asked, "What's up, Gaara?"

Gaara growled, "Something…something here is making mother angry…"

The black suited guy then asked in fear, "It's not going to wake up, is it!?"

Gaara shook his head, "No…but I'm going to find whatever is making her angry enough to stir…"

With those words, Gaara jumped onto one of the roofs and began to head towards the place where the thing that made his blood and that of his "mother" boil with rage.

_With Naruto's group; near the Hokage's tower…_

Naruto, Hinata, Josuke, and Tayuya landed in front of the Hokage's Tower, and would've headed inside had not two Chuunin blocked their way. Naruto grew impatient as the two showed no signed of stepping aside, "Oi, we need to see Hokage-jii-san! We got some important news for him!"

"Listen," one of the Chuunin said, "the Hokage is busy right now, so why don't you come at a later time."

Josuke could see that this was one of the people who hated Naruto, and after muttering something about "teme who couldn't see pass their noses" turned to Naruto and told him, "Naruto, let's go see if we can find Ienari-sama back home, he'll be able to tell the Hokage what we've learned."

Naruto, after growling at the Chuunin guard, followed his teammates and Tayuya back to the Uzumaki Compound. As they bounded on the rooftops, Hinata sensed something through her sense of smell. She stopped and looked around, wondering where the smell was coming from and why she felt irritated from the smell. She noticed that Naruto had also stopped and was growling as his six tails moved back and forth in anger.

Josuke looked at both of them in turn and asked, "You guys okay? You're acting like there's something bad coming."

Naruto growled, "Josuke…there's something coming that's making me angry."

Hinata piped up, "I'm…also getting mad, Josuke-kun."

Now Josuke knew that there was something wrong if Hinata also got mad at something that Naruto could detect through his senses. Out of practice, Josuke strapped on his gauntlets and flexed his fingers, ready to fight in case things got messy. Tayuya seeing the trio get ready, pulled out her flute to lend a hand to the three if they needed more help.

Soon three figures appeared at the opposite roof before them, and Josuke wondered if these were the guys that made Naruto and Hinata agitated. One of the three, a redhead, looked at Naruto and Hinata and whispered, "You two…just what are you…why do I feel…fear…?"

Josuke shivered slightly at how cold the boy's whisper was, and now understood why Hinata and Naruto had become alert. However, he realized that the redhead had said he feared Naruto and Hinata which led to one conclusion: the guy had to be the vessel of one of the Bijū. Judging by how he had said fear, Josuke would have to guess that he was at most the Gobi or at the very least the Ichibi. Likely the latter since Josuke saw sand start to pour out of the gourd on the kid's back.

Naruto growled out, "Can't you tell a Han'yô when you see one?"

The black suited guy sneered, "Oi, you don't want to make Gaara mad. It might be the last thing you do…"

"If that's true," Josuke answered as he held one of his kunai near the guy's throat, "then he should know that making Naruto-nii-san, Hinata-hime, _and_ myself mad is even worse…"

One of Gaara's eyebrows rose in mild surprise, _He got over here in an instant and got behind Kankuro without me noticing until he spoke…he's very strong._

Kankuro gritted his teeth, _How the hell did he get behind me like that!? That kind of speed would have to be at least Jonin-level!_

Josuke smiled pleasantly as he asked, "From your headbands I can guess you guys are from _Sunagakure no Sato_ (_**The Village Hidden in the Sand**_) and since the Chuunin Exams are going on, you're likely here for them. What I'm wondering, however, is the fact that…Gaara, was it?" he saw Gaara nod, "What I'm wondering though is why would two Kitsune Han'yô would become irritated at the smell of one Suna Genin?"

Gaara realized that Josuke had figured things out by just watching the reaction of his friends and then putting two and two together. Gaara watched him closely as he asked, "Who are you?"

Josuke waved with his free hand, "Ienari Josuke of the Ienari clan of Konoha. Those three over there are my friends Hyuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, and Tayuya-chan."

Naruto, Tayuya, and Hinata still eyed Gaara carefully before they nodded in greeting. As each side stood in quiet, Kenji, Hachiro, and Hoshi appeared on the roof Naruto's team was on with a newcomer. The newcomer looked like an ordinary man with a brown hakama tied with a dark green obi, but everyone realized that this guy was a Yôkai because of the spiked raccoon tail on his back. The Yôkai looked at them with a drunken face as he rubbed his blue eyes and shook his black hair as though getting rid of some weariness that still nagged at him He carried a gray drink jar with the kanji for sake over his shoulder, and everyone could tell the loved to drink.

The Yôkai gave a grin as he looked at Kenji, "**Well, well Rakugosha-sama, looks like I owe ya an apology for callin' you a liar.**"

Kenji nodded to the Yôkai, "There is no need to apologize, _Sakenomi (**Drinker**_), but please call me Kenji or Ienari-san at least."

Sakenomi chuckled at that before he turned to Gaara muttering, "**To think that Okashira** (_**a term meaning boss, it's usually used for gangs and the like**_) **would be inside a kid…man, this one is going to be one hell of a storm when everyone back home hears this one…**"

Kenji noticed Josuke still holding his kunai near Kankuro's neck and stated, "You can let him go, Josuke, I know why they are here and I also know about the invasion."

At those words, the group from Suna eyes' widened realizing that their mission was now in jeopardy. Kenji, seeing the Suna Team's reactions, raised his hand in a calming nature, "Do not worry, you're not going to be taken to jail or anything, we are here merely to talk and make a deal with Gaara here."

Gaara looked at Kenji and asked, "What deal could you make me?"

Kenji looked at Sakenomi, who nodded and asked, "**What would you do for a goodnight's sleep and having such control over sand that it would make ya godlike?**"

Gaara looked as though he had been told he had just won the lottery, "You mean that there is a way to keep Shukaku out of my head so I can sleep without fear of him?"

Sakenomi laughed as he answered, "**Yeah, but you have to do two things in order to keep ol' Okashira out of your head.**"

Gaara looked at the Yôkai carefully and measured his next words, "**What would I have to do?**"

Sakenomi pulled out a small dish cup and served himself some sake from the jug he was carrying, "**The first thing to do would be for you and your teammates to renounce Suna and join Konoha. Since they took Okashira away several years ago, we have no love for Suna and would rather see it fall than let them get away for shaming us Tanuki Yôkai.**"

Gaara answered emotionlessly, "I have no love for Suna either, and I'm sure Temari and Kankuro here would come with me," seeing both of his siblings nod that they would follow Gaara, he looked at Sakenomi and asked, "What is the second part of the deal?"

Sakenomi finished drinking from his cup and replied, "**Ya may not like this part…you have to fuse with Okashira and become the next head for us Tanuki Yôkai back in Makai.**"

Both Temari and Kankuro shouted, "WHAT!? YOU EXPECT GAARA TO ACTUALLY AGREE TO THAT KIND OF TERM!?"

Sakenomi looked at the two and both became quiet as they felt the killing intent radiate from the Tanuki. He filled his cup and stated, "**My kin and I want our Okashira back, and this is the only way that Gaara can get sleep like a normal person. If you two care for the cub then let him choose and accept his decision. Besides, Okashira wasn't the crazed teme you humans thought he was," he drank again and continued, "He always watched us and had a good time when it came to a fight. Sure he drank a lot, but all Tanuki worth their tails either drink heavy or don't drink at all.**"

Gaara looked at the Tanuki Yôkai for a while, his thoughts churning at what he had just heard. On the one hand, he could finally sleep and gain twice the powers that he had right now. On the other hand, he would become that which the people back in Suna had hated him for his entire life. He looked at Naruto and Hinata, realizing that if they could take in Kitsune Han'yô then a Tanuki Han'yô would make little to no difference in their life. He looked at Sakenomi, who was again filling his cup with sake, "Are there many of your kind who would see me as a monster because I'm only half-blood?"

Temari looked incredulous, "You can't be serious Gaara!? You can't actually _want_ to be a mons-"

Kankuro quickly clasp one of his hands onto his sister's mouth, not letting her finish her sentence. Temari looked at Kankuro who whispered in her ear, "Are you stupid Temari!? Gaara hates being called a monster and besides that," he took a quick look at Sakenomi, "_he_ would've probably taken it as an insult too and then we be dead before we knew it!"

Sakenomi took a swing of his sake as he stated loudly, "**Good thinking there, human. If the girl had finished that particular sentence, I might've taken offense and done something I might've regretted later.**"

Both Kankuro and Temari jumped at the statement and both decided to keep quiet in order to stay safe. The Tanuki chuckled at their expression and said, "**Don't worry, it takes a lot to make a Tanuki angry and we only get mad at people or Yôkai stupid enough to insult us.**"

Hoshi whispered to Hachiro, "**I thought it was easy to make a Tanuki mad.**"

Hachiro shrugged, "**It is, but they like to boast otherwise.**"

Sakenomi glared at the Kitsune and asked, "**What was that, ya damn foxes?**"

Naruto, Josuke, Hinata, and Tayuya soon relaxed seeing that there were no hostilities meant on either side, other than the obvious fun that Hoshi was having at poking insults at least. Kenji cleared his throat, "Although it is interesting to have a conversation on the rooftops, how about we take our young guests to the Uzumaki Compound instead?"

Everyone nodded, and soon made their way towards the Uzumaki Compound.

_Later; at the Uzumaki Compound…_

Gaara sat at the corner of the room, deciding whether or not he should become the new head of the Tanuki clan of Yôkai. He knew that whatever he chose it would bring a big change to his life. The temptation of living a semi-normal life and sleep like an ordinary person was great, but he hated the idea of becoming the very thing people back at Suna hated. However, the Tanuki called Sakenomi also told him what had happened to their boss when he had arrived into Ningenkai. He, along with nine other Yôkai, had been summoned and had been put under a Genjutsu that drove them into fits of rage until they had been sealed within mortals/objects. Shukaku it seemed had been a victim just like Gaara as he had been taken from his home without warning and then forced to kill when he probably didn't want to.

As the idea of a Yôkai being innocent passed through his head, Gaara smirked a little imagining Shukaku with angel wings and a halo. Gaara then heard a knock on the door and murmured, "It's open."

Temari, Kankuro, and their sensei, Baki, came in and Baki closed the door behind him. They sat in front of Gaara, and Baki asked, "Gaara…are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Gaara looked at him and then at his siblings before answering, "I…I want this more than anything, but…there is still the fact that I will become the thing people hated in Suna…"

Temari, who like Kankuro wanted her little brother to be happy, replied, "Gaara, _if_ you do choose to become a Tanuki Han'yô, we'll be shinobi of Konoha not Suna," she then walked over to Gaara and touched his shoulder, "And we're staying with you no matter what."

Gaara looked at his sister and then at Kankuro who nodded in agreement, and whispered, "Then I know what's going to have to be done…"

With those words, Gaara left them in the room he had been in and searched for Kenji or Sakenomi. He soon met up with Hachiro, the Kitsune Yôkai, and asked, "Where are Ienari-san and Sakenomi-san?"

Hachiro looked at the young Suna boy and smiled, "**Rakugosha-sama is training with his boys right now, though I believe Sakenomi is on the roof**," the Kitsune made a face as he added, "**drinking…again…**"

Gaara nodded, and disappeared in a swirl of sand only to reappear on the roof. Sure enough, Sakenomi was drinking again and Gaara was surprised to see that he had several empty jars already beside him, _How much can he drink…?_

Sakenomi looked and saw Gaara approaching him, "**So have ya reached a decision yet or do ya want more time to think?**"

Gaara sat beside the Tanuki and answered, "Are there many who are Han'yô?"

Sakenomi drank straight from the jar and later answered, "**A few, not as many humans or Yôkai of course, but there is still a pretty decent number of half-bloods out there.**"

Gaara looked out at the darkening village and after a moment of silence, "Then I want you to make me into a Han'yô like the Uzumaki and the Hyuga."

Sakenomi smiled as he placed the now empty jar of sake with the others and grinned, "**I thought you might say that, so I got the preparations all set with Rakugosha-sama and all we need to do now is finish that seal of yours.**"

"How do you plan on finishing the seal?" Gaara asked.

The Tanuki ordered, "**First, off with the shirt**," seeing Gaara take off the shirt he then ordered, "**Now show me the seal**," Gaara obeyed and formed a hand seal which show the seal in his navel. After a moment of flexing the fingers on his hands, Sakenomi shouted, "**Tsuin Ryuu Fūin** (_**Twin Dragon Seal**_)"

Gaara shouted in pain as the Tanuki Yôkai slammed his hand onto his stomach and was sent flying right into the small garden below. Moments later, Gaara emerged looking pissed and grinding his teeth as he growled out, "Why the hell didn't you warn me!?"

Sakenomi laughed as he sat back down and opened another jar, "**Simple: I love making anyone look like a fool the first time I use my techniques.**"

Gaara would've said something had not Kenji, Naruto, and Josuke appeared on the opposite of the garden. Kenji sighed as he looked at Sakenomi, "Did you placed the seal correctly, Sakenomi? I don't want any screw ups for this particular fusion…"

Sakenomi waved him off as he laid back, "**Don't worry, Rakugosha-sama, I know my seals better than any Yôkai back in Makai and Gaara's seal will work for the fusion.**"

Kenji nodded as he stated loudly, "Hoshi, Hachiro, let's go."

Hoshi and Hachiro appeared from behind the small pillars that they had been hiding behind. Hachiro helped Gaara up with one of his tails and soon he, Gaara, Hoshi, and Kenji disappeared as they went to the room that Naruto's fusion had taken place. Naruto sighed as he watched them go, "Damn…if I wasn't so tired, I would've chased them to see the fusion…"

Josuke grinned as he took off his sunglasses and replied, "And let Ienari-sama make us go through extra training? I think we're better off staying here for now, nii-san."

Naruto had to agree and both soon made their way to the men's bath to clean up and get supper.

_Two days later; at the gate of the Ninja Academy…_ (_**Before you kill me for not showing Gaara's transformation, it went much like Naruto's aside from the fact that it went without someone else turning into a Tanuki Han'yô. Other than that, there's not much to say about the previous days except a few small details that you are all going to enjoy right now.**_)

Hinata looked around, wondering where Naruto and Josuke were at. She had come to the Ninja Academy about an hour before the Exam began, wanting to see her friend Ongaku Midori before the Exams went underway. Josuke and Naruto, however, had said that they wanted to get some ramen before the Exams and so went off to Ichiraku telling her that they would be there before the Exam started. She had now waited about thirty minutes and there was still no sign off Naruto or Josuke. She sighed wondering where either could be at a time like this when she heard someone call out her name.

Naruto and Josuke soon stumbled in front of Hinata as they came to a stop. As Josuke continued to regain his breath, Naruto stammered out, "Sorry…about being…late Hinata-chan. We…lost…track of…time for a minute…"

Hinata giggle at her boyfriend's actions and gave him a small hug with one of her tails, reassuring him, "That's okay; we still have time to make it."

Josuke and Naruto sighed in relief as they headed inside the building. Josuke, however, was still having trouble over the incident a day ago between him, Tayuya, and Ayame.

_Flashback…_

Josuke slurped the last of his tenth ramen bowl and gave a satisfied sigh, "Thanks, Aya-chan! Your cooking always taste the best!"

Ayame smiled as she said, "You always say that, Josuke-kun."

Josuke grinned, "It's because it's true!"

Both laugh at that, and Josuke got up to help Ayame clean the bowls he had eaten from. Just as he was about to head to the back, Tayuya entered wearing the uniform of a Konoha Chuunin, complete with the green vest. After revealing Orochimaru's plan to invade Konoha, Tayuya had been given the status of Chuunin and had been made into one of the proctors for the exam. Tayuya saw Josuke and smiled, "Hey, Josuke, I guess Naruto was right when he said you hanged around here often."

Josuke grinned, "Considering I work here part-time when I'm not training or in mission, I should," he then asked, "So why are you here, Tayuya-chan? I thought you would be getting ready for the Exam tomorrow…"

Tayuya grinned as she gave him a small kiss on the cheek, "You worry too freaking much for your own good, you know that?"

Ayame, who had been watching the two interact, suddenly shouted, "You whore! How dare you kiss my Josuke-kun!?"

Both Josuke and Tayuya were taken aback by Ayame's outburst, and Josuke could tell that Ayame was also a bit taken aback by her own words. Tayuya soon frowned as she asked, "_Your_ Josuke-kun? From what I know, Josuke here is single unless he's been lying to every damn person in this village..." she then placed one of her arms around Josuke's and added, "So from where I'm standing, I say he's fair game…"

Ayame's eye twitched slightly as she hissed back, "Let him go, or else I'll break every single bone in that body…"

Josuke looked back and forth between them, not knowing what to do stop the catfight that was brewing. As he prepared to take cover, Kenji entered the ramen bar and asked, "Are you still open?"

Seeing Tayuya and Ayame looking at each other with extreme agitation, Kenji looked at Josuke and asked, "Do I want to know what's happening?"

Josuke quickly go out of Tayuya's hold and hid behind Kenji as he shouted, "Ienari-sama, do something!"

Soon Kenji was filled in on what had happened and the problem at hand. Kenji laughed after hearing everything and told them, "The answer is simple: you both become Josuke's girlfriend."

The three looked at him for a moment before they all shouted, "EH!?"

Kenji drank the tea that Ayame had given him before he clarified, "Josuke is the last of the Ienari clan, and as such, one of his duties is to restore the clan. To do this he would have to have as many children as possible, and to _that_ he would need as many wives as possible. So having a harem of regular size would benefit the clan in the end."

Josuke was the first to recover as he grabbed Kenji by the scruff of his cloak, "ARE YOU CRAZY!? I CAN'T HAVE A HAREM!!! IT'S WRONG AND NO GIRL WOULD EVER AGREE TO IT!!!"

Kenji glared at Josuke for a moment, before he was let go and continued, "I don't see the problem with it considering the Ienari practiced polygamy after all."

Josuke looked as though his spirit had left his body, while Ayame asked, "You mean that they had multiple spouses?"

Kenji nodded, "It's an old tradition among the Uzumaki and the Ienari. Since they were the least numerous, they usually took more than one wife or husband in order to keep the clan afloat. In fact, I was actually going to marry three women from _Iwagakure no Sato_ (_**The Village Hidden in the Stone**_) before the Shinobi War."

Josuke soon wobbled a bit before he fainted and fell to the floor. Tayuya and Ayame looked at each other for a moment before Tayuya scratched her head, "Guess that means we don't really need to fight over him…"

Ayame nodded, "I guess, but…" she looked at the K.O.'ed Josuke, "I think we'll have to figure out how we can work this relationship out…"

_End of Flashback…_

After that, Josuke had to talk things out with both girls in order to make sure that both agreed on the idea of a harem. Unfortunately for Josuke, they had talked it out before he regained consciousness and had agreed that they would become Josuke's girlfriends. Josuke had at first tried to talk them both out of it, but he soon gave in when he saw that there was no way for him to stop them.

Deep down though, Josuke was happy that things turned out okay and actually he kind of liked the idea of having both Tayuya and Ayame as girlfriends. Tayuya was great sparring partner and her tough nature actually made training fun for Josuke, while Ayame was a great cook and always had a sweet smile that seemed to cheer Josuke up no matter how bad things were. Both of them, in Josuke's opinion, were also the most beautiful women that he had ever met.

As his thoughts continued on this track, he and the rest of Team Ienari headed inside. They climbed the stairs to the second floor, and were surprised to see a large crowd of Genin waiting outside a door that was guarded by two other Genin.

Naruto rolled his eyes as he muttered, "Jeesh…we barely get in and they already throw a test right in front of us…"

They made their way past the crowd until Josuke saw a familiar boy with green spandex and orange legwarmers. He grinned as he asked, "Yo, Lee, how's everything going for you?"

Lee looked to Josuke and gave him the "Good Guy" pose (_**the pose where he gives a smile and thumbs up**_) at him. Josuke was thankful that he wore sunglasses as the glint from Lee's smile would've probably blinded him. Lee soon stood near Josuke and yelled, "It is good to see you, Josuke-kun! I see that your Flames of Youth shine brightly!"

Josuke rubbed his ears as he told Lee, "Can't you try and keep it down, Lee? Is bad enough when it's this close…"

Lee gave an embarrassed smile, "Forgive me, Josuke-kun, but I forget that my Flames of Youth can at times be overwhelming to others."

Naruto grinned as he held his hand out, "Hey, Lee how's your training going?"

Lee did another "Good Guy" pose before he answered, "It's going splendidly! My Flames of Youth only get brighter because of it!"

Naruto blinked a couple of times to get rid of the spots he was seeing now, and afterwards grinned, "Well we better go, our friends are waiting in the _third_ floor after all…"

Lee looked confused, but then clasped his fist to his open palm as he realized what Naruto was saying. He gave him a nod and a grin as he went to fetch his teammates, and Team Ienari soon proceeded towards the corridor that would lead to the third floor, which was hidden under a Genjutsu. They were soon greeted by Kenji, Hachiro, and Hoshi all of them looking as though they were glad they had made it.

Kenji smiled as he told them, "Good to see you three didn't get tricked by the Genjutsu."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Please! We went up one flight of stairs and the sign has a three? You couldn't make it any more obvious!"

Hoshi giggled as she replied, "**It's still very impressive that you figured it out so quickly,**" she gave each a hug in turn, "**Ganbatte, everyone, do your very best in the Exam.**"

Hachiro looked at Naruto and bowed, "**We will pray for your success, Naruto-sama,**" he looked at Hinata and Josuke, "**As well as yours, Hinata-hime and Josuke-kun.**"

Kenji turned serious, "Be on your guard, you three. We don't know when Orochimaru or one of his cohorts may initiate the invasion."

The three nodded solemnly and soon passed through the door. Naruto, Hinata, and Josuke were somewhat surprised to see that there were many candidates within the room that were older than even Josuke. Just then Hinata and the others heard a familiar voice, "Hina-chan! You made it!"

Hinata and the two boys turned to see Ongaku Midori, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba walking towards them. Midori smiled as she greeted the group, "Hi, Naruto. Hi, Josuke. It's been a while since we last met."

Josuke and Naruto greeted Midori in turn and both found a small place where they could wait until the Exam began. Soon they were join by Team 10 and Team 8 as they talked about the missions that they had been on. Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, and Midori were impressed and somewhat jealous at the exploits of Team Ienari. Josuke then waved at Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro to join them as they came in through the door. Several of the veterans glared at the group of Genin, but stopped when they felt the joint killing intent from Josuke, Naruto, and Gaara.

Gaara sat down crack his neck a bit as he set his gourd down, not noticing the stares he was getting from the other Genin. The fusion had been successful and Gaara had to admit that the results were interesting: he now sported a spiked tail similar to Sakenomi's own, though his did not had the ring-like pattern that Sakenomi's did. He had grown to be Kankuro's height, and his baby fat had completely turn into lean muscle. He didn't have any raccoon ears, though his ears were now slightly pointed at the top. He wore a hakama and obi of the same colors that Sakenomi had worn, and was in fact shirtless. It seemed that Tanuki Yôkai wore no shirts as it supposedly made training and performing Jutsus easier as they tended to let out a lot of chakra through their upper body. This had turned out to be true as Gaara had lost three shirts before he gave in to Sakenomi's insitance in dressing into the hakama.

Josuke looked at Midori and Ino, and felt sorry for Gaara as they were both drooling slightly at seeing his bare chest and the muscles on his arms and upper body. Josuke let a sigh escape him, _He's going to have to keep on guard at all time in order to keep the fangirls away…_

Just then Ino ran from the group towards the door and glomped Sasuke as his team made their way in. Soon everyone other than the "Suna" siblings made their way to greet Team 7. Josuke and Naruto both greeted Kekoa, who greeted them back and asked them how they were doing as both of his teammates glared at him.

Just then a voice rang out, "You guys are Rookies just out of the Academy, right?"

Everyone turn to see a guy in purple clothing with glasses and a Konoha headband at them, and Josuke could hear Naruto and Hinata beginning to growl at him. If Josuke was right then the guy in front of them was Orochimaru's right hand man, Yakushi Kabuto. Kabuto continued as he told them off, "This isn't some picnic."

Ino then asked, "Who do you think you are?"

Kabuto smiled as he answered, "I'm Kabuto, but instead of that, look behind you."

Everyone did so, and were met with the glares from many of the participants, more so from the three that belonged to the _Amegakure no Sato_ (_**Village Hidden in the Rain**_). Josuke rolled his eyes and send some of his killing intent at them while he lowered his glasses slightly to reveal his pupil-less eyes. In an instant, the _Ame_ (_**Rain**_) Genin turn away, shaken at the sight and decided not to make any more eye contact with them. This didn't go unnoticed by Kabuto, _Interesting…he must be the Ienari that Ikasama-san and Osore-san were both referring to. He does live to the claim of an Ienari being a killer even at a young age._

"Considering you are all Rookies," Kabuto said as he pullet out some cards, "I'll let you in on some of the information that I've gathered from my seven years taking the Exam with my Ninja info cards."

Naruto, Hinata, and Josuke could tell that that was a blatant lie and the info came from an intricate network of spies. Tayuya had told them that Kabuto always researched an opponent before coming up with the best way to get rid of him while inflicting the best psychological damage he could. That had made Josuke mad, and he had sworn that if he ever met Kabuto in battle he would crush his skull with his own hands.

Josuke quickly recovered from his thoughts as he heard Sasuke ask Kabuto for information on Lee, Gaara, Naruto, and not surprisingly, himself. Josuke looked at Naruto, and gave him a nod which Naruto return. Naruto did two seals and got ready for when Kabuto would show his and Josuke's cards. Kabuto soon showed both Lee's and Gaara's and told Sasuke what he knew about both before he pulled out two cards from his deck. With that Naruto released a small fireball, which then consumed the cards and stung Kabuto's hand slightly.

Everyone looked at Naruto who growled at Kabuto, "The next time I find out someone is spying on me or anybody in my team; I will personally wring their necks with their intestines…"

Naruto's sudden coldness plus his shifting from pupils to slits in an instant made even Kabuto shiver slightly. Josuke smiled pleasantly as he added in the same cold tone, "That is _after_ I force them to eat hot lead of course…"

Everyone now looked ready to soil themselves aside from Hinata, who shook her head and pulled her teammates away from them whispering, "Did you two really had to do that?"

Both grinned as they answered, "Yep, its fun to rattle them up."

Hinata sighed and soon they went back to their seats before either Naruto or Josuke made any more trouble. After a few minutes, plus an attack from the Genin from Oto, a loud voice rang out, "QUIET DOWN, YOU WORTHLESS BASTARDS!!!"

Everyone watched as a scarred man in a black trench coat appear with several other men and women behind him. Josuke smiled and winked at Tayuya who winked back and mouthed "Ganbatte ne Josuke."

"Thanks for waiting," the man in the black trench coat replied, "I am Morino Ibiki, the Examiner for the Chuunin Selection Exam's first test."

He looked at the Oto Genin and pointed at them, "Oi, Oto guys, stop doing as you please, do you want to fail already?"

One of the Oto shinobi, a hunched guy wearing bandages on most of his face answered, "I apologize…this is our first time…we got a bit carried away…"

Ibiki glared at the gathered Genin as he stated, "Here's a good opportunity to say this…There will be no fighting without the permission of one of the Examiners. Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent is prohibited. Those pigs that disobey me will be failed immediately. _Do I make myself clear_?"

Josuke grinned as he whispered to his teammates, "I like him, he has the attitude that I would like to have when he's older…"

Naruto chuckle as he stated, "Then how would I get any laughs?"

Hinata giggled at that as Ibiki went on to explain the test, which turned out to be a written exam. They were soon made to sit in different seats, and by a stroke of luck, Hinata and Naruto sat right by each other. As they waited for Ibiki to finish the rules of the exam, both of them performed a few hand seals under their desks, and whispered, "_Renkei Omoi no Jutsu_ _**Linking Mind Technique**_."

Soon Naruto could see what Hinata could see and Hinata was seeing through Naruto's eyes. Josuke, who was six rows away and had his Byakugan activated, smirked as he thought, _This test is in the bag now…_

Soon Ibiki gave the signal for the exam to begin, and a few people began to write on their papers. Josuke waited for about five minutes, before he began to look for someone who would have the right answers. He found the guy he wanted three rows behind him, and soon began to write his answers on his paper, thinking, _It's a good thing that Hinata-hime and I have the Byakugan for this. Not to mention that Jutsu Hoshi-aneki (__**This means big sister, and not to be confused with "aniki" would be big brother**__) taught us really helps Naruto a lot since it lets him see through our eyes for about seven minutes…_

Josuke soon put down his pencil and lay down, deciding to take a nap while the rest of the Genin finished. Hinata and Naruto smiled as both finished getting the answers from Josuke's paper and smiled at each other. Each then used one of their tails to grab one of the others' as they relaxed and waited until the Jutsu finished. They watched as Sasuke used his Sharingan to copy the movements of another Genin, Neji use his Byakugan similarly to how Hinata and Josuke had done, Kiba using Akamaru, Shino using one of his bugs, and Ino using one of her Jutsus to take over Sakura and copy from her.

From where he sat, Josuke watched as Gaara made his sand dispersed to gather information. TenTen use some near invisible wires as a way for her and Lee to cheat, and the rest use either their smarts or some almost obvious tricks trying to pass. He smiled as he watched another team fail and yawned, _Guess this test is a lot harder for these guys..._

Soon forty-five minutes had passed, and Ibiki then shouted, "Alright, you maggots, its time for the final question!"

Josuke, Hinata, and Naruto sat up and waited for Ibiki to give them the final question that would let them pass.

_Meanwhile; at the Jonin Lounge…_

Kenji drank the tea he had gotten as he watched the clouds move by gently, wondering how his team was doing. He then heard the door open, and was greeted in turn by Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi. After greeting them, he went back to drinking his tea and tried to relax until he heard Asuma asked, "Oi, Kenji, do you think your team will pass the Exams?"

Kenji sighed as he set his cup down and looked at the Sarutobi, "My team will pass, there is no doubt about it. They may have that sadist Ibiki as their first examiner, but I have trained them under severe psychological, physical, and spiritual strain."

"Ibiki? Who's he?" Kurenai asked.

Asuma clarified, "He's a pro…a pro of torture and interrogation."

Kakashi looked at the elder Ienari as he served himself some more tea, "Mind if I ask you why you hold such confidence in your team, Kenji? After all they're made up of the worst possible Genin that the Academy could ever…"

In a flash, a sword appeared in front of Kakashi, and as Kenji drank some of his tea, he stated, "My team is made up of the best Genin in the entire known history of this pathetic excuse of a village aside from the Sannin. They have tangled with a total of three Yôkai in their short lives and already have proven their worth by protecting this damned place from them. If it wasn't for the simple fact that they cared for this village, which has hated them for something they didn't do or didn't have a choice about, I would've destroyed it after I had heard how they had been treated…"

Kakashi, though a Jonin and a former ANBU captain, couldn't help but be a bit shaken by the hostility that Kenji was showing him. Kenji soon pulled back his sword as he finished, "So to answer your question _Hatake_, I don't doubt them because I see how hard they are trying to prove their existence in this miserable hellhole. I train them to the point that even the elite ANBU would die or at least be mentally and physically broken. But they remain and continue to grow and improve better than anyone I had ever trained. So for that fact, and that fact alone, I will _never_ doubt the true potential of my team."

Asuma and Kurenai stood silent, but were a bit shocked at how Kenji felt about Konoha. Kenji set the cup down and began to leave. He stopped by the door and replied, "Your teams will make it, I have no doubt about that. However, the next time you mouth my team off and I find out, my sword will find its way towards your heart and skewer it."

Kenji soon left them alone and after a few minutes Asuma whispered, "Now I remember why Ienari Kenji was feared by everyone when he was part of the Ienari clan…"

Kurenai looked at him as she asked, "What do you mean feared?"

Kakashi was the one to answer, "Ienari Kenji…is an enigmatic man. No one really knows where he comes from or his real name, but everyone in Konoha remembers him as _Zangetsu no Kenji (**Moon Cutter Kenji**)_because of his mastery of the sword…"

Kurenai stood up as she shouted, "Zangetsu no Kenji!? You mean to tell me that that man is _the_ Zangetsu no Kenji, the man who was said to have slain an entire village of Yôkai in one night and supposedly dye the moon red with their blood!?"

Kakashi nodded, "Same one. I really didn't think it was him until he flashed that sword before me. The anger and the blood lust behind those eyes…I thought no one but a Yôkai could muster such killing intent…"

Asuma took a drag from his cigarette, "And you went and mouthed off about his team…I wouldn't want to be you if he heard you doing that again…"

Kakashi silently agreed with Asuma, and for the first time in a long while, he decided that maybe he should try and keep his tongue civil.

_Back at the Exam…_

"For the tenth question," Ibiki stated, "you must decide whether or not you will take it."

Everyone in the room began to protest about the question until they heard Ibiki continue, "And now the rule…should you choose _not_ to take it, then that person and his/her team will get zero points and fail!"

Everyone began to protest again until Ibiki added, "_And_ should you choose to take it, and answer incorrectly…that person will lose the right to ever take the Chuunin Selection Exam again!"

Many stared disbelieving at how unfair the tenth question, and Kiba yelled, "What kind of stupid rule is that!? There are guys here who have taken the test before!!!"

Ibiki chuckled as he answered, "Too bad…you guys were unlucky to have me for this year's exam," he looked at them again and replied, "But I'll give you a way out…those who aren't confident can choose not to take it and try again next year."

Many were openly shivering at the fact that if they didn't take it they fail, and if they did take it and answered incorrectly, they would be stuck as Genin forever. Josuke rolled his eyes as he thought, _I can see why Ienari-sama said that if we met this guy to be prepared for a mental beat down…he's making everyone sweat by just words alone._

Many of the teams began to leave as one by one they answered that they wouldn't take the final question. From what Josuke, Naruto, and Hinata could tell less than half of those who had entered had failed the exam. Naruto whistled absentmindedly, _Man…it's a good thing Hoshi-nee-chan and Hachiro-nii-san told us to stay calm. If they hadn't taught us that Jutsu before hand, I probably would've thought about quitting._

Soon the remaining Genin waited for Ibiki to continue and got ready for the last question. Ibiki was impressed by the few remaining teams, as he had expected for only a quarter of the entrants rather than less than half. He looked at Naruto, Hinata, and Josuke in turn and smiled, _Those three are Kenji's team…I should've guessed that they would pass without any trouble. After all…Kenji did pass the same interrogation tests I took as a shinobi myself._

"Alright then…" Ibiki stated, "For those of you who have decided to remain here and answer the tenth and final question…I congratulate you in passing the first test!"

Everyone in the room nearly face faulted as they watched Ibiki laugh at their reaction. Sakura then raised her hand, "But then what was the point of the tenth question and for that matter the other nine?"

Josuke raised his hand and asked, "Do you mind if my team answers that, Ibiki-sensei?"

Ibiki smiled and nodded, as Josuke began, "The answer you should've come to is simple, Sakura-chan: this test wanted to test us on our individual information gathering skills…"

Naruto then added, "All the rules and questions were set up so that there was only one option: you had to cheat in order to get the points that you needed to pass."

Hinata soon perked up, "The answers of the test, however, were far too complicated to answer for any Genin, so there had to be at least two Chuunin here who knew the answers, correct Ibiki-sensei?"

Ibiki grinned as he answered, "That's correct and very impressive. I can see that Zangetsu no Kenji taught you three perfectly when it came to analyzing a problem…"

At that the entire room looked at the three and paled suddenly as the same thought went through their minds, _Those three are being taught by __the__ Zangetsu no Kenji!? No wonder they're so good!_

Sasuke's thoughts, however, were completely different, _They're being taught by someone stronger than me!? __I__ should've been taught by that man, not them!_

Ibiki continued and explained the rest of the test to the others as they got over the shock of learning who Team Ienari's sensei was. As he finished explaining, the window to his side suddenly burst and something black came in to stand in front of Ibiki. As it came to a stop, those inside could now tell that the black "thing" was in reality a woman with purple hair, and Josuke groaned as he thought, _Oh no…why is __she__ here…?_

"Alright!" the woman shouted, "This is no time to be celebrating! My name is Mitarashi Anko and I'm the examiner of the second part of the exam! Now follow me!"

Ibiki moved the black flag that Anko had put up and stated, "Bad timing, Anko…"

Anko blushed in embarrassment for a moment before she counted the remaining Genin. She looked at Ibiki as she asked, "You left twenty six teams, Ibiki? This test was way too easy!"

Ibiki smirked as he answered, "There's a lot of outstanding Genin this year, Anko."

"Whatever," Anko retorted, "I'll just have to cut the number in half at least."

A few of the Genin worried at her words, and soon Anko shouted, "Okay, I'll explain everything once we changed the scenery a little."

_Later; at Training Area 44…_

Everyone stood in amazement as they looked at the training area. The entire place was made of a giant forest and was locked up by a strong wire fence. Anko looked back as she replied, "Welcome to Training Area 44, otherwise known as the 'Forest of Death'!"

**_END OF CHAPTER 4_**_  
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**_Something screwy is going to happen now that both Tayuya and Gaara is are a part of Naruto's and Josuke's family of outcasts! Now with the first part of the Exam over and the next coming up, you can tell things are about to get bloody. With snakes, enemy shinobi, a pedophile Sannin, and the threat of a Yôkai team, Team Ienari is going to have a very rough time._**__

W**_ell the votes are in, and the final results are here now! So who does Josuke fall in love with? Well after the votes were all said and done, Josuke would've winded up with Tayuya. However, due to the reviews that came in late, many asked me to make both her and Ayame Josuke's girlfriends. So ladies and gents of all ages, Josuke has two lovely women for the price of one! With the next chapter things will get more and more interesting, promised! As to Sasuke, I'll be clear: I hate the guy point made and done. Only reason I'm writing is for Naruto to evolve in character and because otherwise the story wouldn't be Naruto (Damn him…)._**__

**_That's all for now!_**__

**_Shidyk D. Shade_**


	5. Chapter 5: The Chuunin Exams Part 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not, in any way or form, own any of the Naruto characters. However, I do own all made up characters of this AU.

**Bold- Biju/Yôkai talking**

**_Bold and Italic- Biju/ Yôkai thinking_**

_Italic- someone thinking/ Flashback _

_Italic and Underline- Time/location shift_

**_Bold and Italic and Underline- Translations, Title, or Narration_**

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**_Chapter 5: The Chuunin Exams- The Forest of Death!_**

**_What does it mean to be an outcast? What is so scary about being alone, with no one around? Is it total quiet one is given by his peers and his elders? Or is it the fact that no one can give the person what they crave for the most: Love? Whatever the answer, there is one sure fact among those who are outcasts: though they are outcasts, there are others like them..._**

Everyone stood in amazement as they looked at the training area. The entire place was made of a giant forest and was locked up by a strong wire fence. Anko looked back as she replied, "Welcome to Training Area 44, otherwise known as the 'Forest of Death'!"

Josuke tried his best not to be noticed by Anko, which wasn't very easy since she was constantly looking at him. Naruto looked at Josuke and asked, "Oi, nii-san, what's up with you?"

Josuke nodded his head towards Anko, as she explained the second part of the Chuunin Exam, "Let's just say that she and I have a bit of a history…"

Naruto grinned and asked, "You didn't do anything that would make Tayuya or Ayame mad, right?"

Josuke bopped Naruto on the head as he muttered, "No, and if you _ever_ mention that kind of lie to either of my girlfriends, I will personally skin you alive and then use your skin as a rug…"

Naruto was about to joke around again, but after seeing Josuke was being serious, he decided that maybe teasing Josuke would be best done at a later time. Soon they were handed a voucher that would make it so that Anko would not be responsible for any deaths caused during the second part of the Chuunin Exam. Josuke made sure that Hinata gave the voucher he signed in order to avoid getting close to Anko. Naruto was now getting more and more curious as to why Josuke would be so afraid of getting near the Mitarashi woman, "Hey, Josuke, can't you at least tell _me_ why you don't want her near you?"

Josuke sighed seeing that he was going to be bugged until he gave an answer. He looked to make sure Anko was not paying attention to them and whispered to him, "Remember that time I came home with several bite marks and bruises covering my body?"

Naruto nodded as Josuke continued, "Well, the reason for that was that…that…_woman_. She wasn't even drunk and she attacked me out of the blue like it was nothing! She summoned her stupid snakes and then beat me down into the floor. I was lucky those snakes didn't inject their poison into my body because I might've died that day…"

Now Naruto understood why Josuke didn't want to be seen by Anko, and actually understood how he felt when he saw her throw a kunai at a disrespectful Genin from Ame for mocking the way she talked. He paled as he watched her actually _lick_ the blood from the cut she had made with it as she was handed her kunai by a _Kusa_ (**_Grass_**) Nin, who had used his tongue of all things. Naruto then whispered to Josuke, "You're right…she's freaky…"

Josuke only shivered as he hid behind Naruto once again as Anko looked their way and finished explaining the rules for the second part. Soon they made their way towards the cloaked stand, and were handed an Earth Scroll and some provisions for the five days that they would be in the forest. Team Ienari was surprised that the Chuunin that would show them to their gate was none other than Tayuya, who smiled at them and show them their gate. She pulled Josuke to the side for a moment and hugged him saying, "I knew you would make it."

Josuke smiled as he answered, "You mean _we_, because I couldn't have passed if it wasn't for Naruto and Hinata-hime."

She smirked as she retorted, "Whatever, baka," she then pulled a small necklace made from shells from her pocket and gave them to Josuke, "This is from me and Ayame wishing you good luck in there."

Josuke smiled as he placed the necklace around his neck and smiled, "Tell Aya-chan thanks for me then, Tayu-"

Josuke never got to finish his sentence as he was kissed by Tayuya square in the lips. As Josuke blushed a red fit for a sunset, Tayuya grinned as she stated, "The necklace may have been from both of us, but that one was from me personally."

Josuke stood there for a bit as Tayuya went back to Naruto and Hinata with a satisfied smile, and opened the gate that would let them into the forest. Josuke was able to recover just in time to head in with his teammates as the red light above turned into green. Josuke, Hinata, and Naruto soon jumped from branch to branch as they made it deep into the forest.

Tayuya watched them go for a while before she closed the gate and murmured to herself, "You guys...be safe in there and make it in one piece…"

_With Gaara's Team…_

Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro stopped in a small clearing to check on their inventory and come up with a plan. They had been traveling for about ten minutes and were now deep within the Forest of Death. Gaara was actually amazed at how well developed his new senses were and was trying out his hearing and sense of smell as much as possible. He had already uncovered several hidden traps in this way, but had yet to find any enemy shinobi at all.

"Gaara?" Temari asked, "You okay?"

Gaara looked at his sister and nodded, "Don't worry, Temari, I'm just trying out my new senses."

Kankuro put his pack down for a minute and stretched, "It's weird if you ask me…"

Both Temari and Gaara looked at their brother and asked, "What do you mean?"

Kankuro elaborated, "I mean Gaara isn't acting like his old "kill everything to exist" self. I just kind of find it weird that you're acting almost normal," he then quickly added, "no offense."

Gaara smirked at his brother, "None taken, Kankuro. Ever since the transformation I've been feeling a lot better, and I…apologize for all the threats I've given you and Temari."

Temari sighed in relief as she finished taking inventory and smiled at Gaara, "We knew it wasn't your fault Gaara, so don't worry about it."

Gaara, despite himself, smirked again and felt actually better about his family…well at least about Kankuro and Temari. Sakenomi had told him that Tanuki rarely had brothers or sisters, and the few who did were usually were extremely protective of each other as they were of the same blood. Gaara had asked him why they were so protective, and Sakenomi had told him that to a Tanuki blood relatives thought of each other highly because they shared virtually the same body and spirit. So if there were two cubs that were born from the same mother, then they would be then they would be taught together and live together until they choose to live separately.

Gaara couldn't understand the logic behind this statement until he understood just how many Tanuki Yôkai there were in existence at the moment. The number had been surprisingly low and Gaara had then understood why brothers and sisters were seen with such a high regard afterwards.

_I will protect them both…_Gaara thought to himself, _I will make up for all the time that I messed up…_

Just as they were preparing to leave, the Ame Genin team appear from the trees. Their leader, a guy with several piercings in his face, stretched out his hand and smirked, "Hand over your scroll and we'll go easy on you…" he then saw Temari, "Plus the whore there, we could use the company."

He's teammates laughed at that, but quickly shut up as they watched Gaara's eyes hardened to the point of becoming a cold green glare. Gaara may not have none much about girls, but he knew what the term "whore" was used for and his new instincts were telling him to kill the bastards in the most painful way possible. Gaara didn't need any prompting as he whispered darkly, "You have made the worst mistake in your life by saying that…"

With these words, Gaara's sand flew in the air and quickly trapped all three of the Ame Genin within the sand. As they struggled within the sand, one of them asked, "W-what is this!?"

Gaara stretched his hand outward with his hand sideways as he muttered, "This is my _Sabaku Kyū (_**_Desert Coffin_**and now die…_Sabaku Sōsō (_**_Desert Funeral_**!"

Gaara's hand became a fist and the sand soon crushed the trio in a heap of flesh and blood. The sand soon returned and handed Gaara the scroll that the Genin had had with them.

"Gaara…" Kankuro hesitantly asked, "you're…you're not going crazy again, right?"

Gaara, seeing his siblings' obvious concern and some of their old fear, reassure them, "Don't worry, Kankuro, I'm not going psychopathic again…I just will kill anyone who makes light of my family in my presence."

Both Kankuro and Temari sighed in relief seeing that their brother was not going to go killing everything that bother him. Gaara tossed the scroll to Temari as she pulled the scroll they already had, "Okay, we got both scrolls now, so let's head towards the tower."

With that, the "Suna" siblings began to rush towards the tower that laid in the middle of the forest.

_With Team 8…_

Midori used her _Samon no Hada (_**_Hearing of Body_** technique as Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino waited to see if there were any enemies nearby. Midori's technique had become useful on several occasions as it had pointed out several things that Akamaru's nose and Shino's bugs could not have pointed out otherwise. Midori soon got up and looked at her teammates, "Okay, we got some enemies due west of here that are waiting for an unsuspecting team to enter their trap, and other than that, there are some animals we might want to steer clear from."

Shino nodded as he send one of his bugs out, "I believe I can create a counter to their trap…"

Kiba chuckled as he boasted, "This test is in the bag! No one can outdo us in a survival test!"

Midori smiled as she turned on her radio and began to tap her foot to the song, and then began to dance a little as they waited for Shino's counter attack to begin. Just as the song was about to finish, the trio heard screams come from the west as though someone had fallen into a trap.

Kiba smiled as he asked Shino, "So what did you send those guys that make them scream like that?"

The young Aburame held his hand out as his bug returned and answered, "Konoha's famous Jumping Leaches…"

Midori shivered as she muttered, "Ew!!! Those damn things give me the creeps!"

Kiba grinned as he asked, "I thought being around Shino would've made you immune to bugs by now Midori."

Midori kicked Kiba squared in the face, as she yelled at him, "Just because I don't mind Shino's bugs doesn't mean I can enjoy being around every single insect in the damn world, dog breath!"

Shino sighed, as he began to make his way towards the west. Midori and Kiba always ended up fighting with each other over petty things and the end result was Midori kicking the Inuzuka boy on the face hard. Most of this stemmed from Midori's dislike of insects and other creepy crawlies, though she had quickly learned that Shino's insect would not harm her if she did not harm Shino. So Kiba was stuck as the one to take all the punishment whenever Midori got mad, which was far too often for the Aburame. Soon his bickering teammates followed, and he wondered if it was the forty-eighth time or the forty-ninth time that they had fought during their time as Team 8.

_With Team 7…_

Kekoa drank some of the tea in his thermos as Sakura fawned over Sasuke. He was used to this as it happened every time their team didn't have Kakashi-sensei around. Kekoa at times would wish that he had been given a better team as Sasuke was far too self-centered to really do any _real_ teamwork and Sakura could care less about others. Out of all of them, Kakashi had told Kekoa that he was likeliest to become a Chuunin as he always watched over his teammates and bailed them out when Sakura or Sasuke did something that cost them both time or put them in some sort of danger. In fact, if it had not been for his fireworks, he along with Sasuke would've died during their mission to the Land of Waves.

Kekoa finished his tea and asked in a loud voice, "So what now? Do we go at this by ourselves or would either of you prefer to work together in order to pass this test?"

Sakura looked murderously at Kekoa as Sasuke nodded, "Best if we stay together, it'll be harder for others to take us down like that…"

Sakura quickly looked at Sasuke, "I bet you could take them all down, Sasuke-kun!"

Kekoa rolled his eyes and once again wished he was in a team where there weren't any fangirls or self-centered bastards. Kekoa put his thermos back at his side as he and the others got up and began to move. Just as they were about ten good feet, several kunai fell from the treetops forcing them to separate into three different directions.

_Damn!_ Sasuke thought as he shouted, "Kekoa! Flush him out!"

Kekoa dodged a few kunai as he took out one of his fireworks and shouted, "On it!"

Kekoa tossed his firework into the treetops and formed a hand seal shouting, "_Bakuhatsu_ (**_Explosion_**)!"

Soon a powerful explosion spread through the treetops and a blur came down to the forest floor. Soon the Kusa Nin that they had seen previously smiled at them as he whispered, "So nice of you to come to me…"

Both Sasuke and Sakura pulled out a pair of kunai while Kekoa took out several of his fireworks. The Kusa Genin chuckled as he asked, "Do you really think those weapons are going to stop me…?"

Sasuke smirked as he said, "Only one way to find out!"

He charged at the Kusa Nin, his kunai at the ready as Kekoa and Sakura followed his lead. The Nin dodged Sasuke's strike and sent a knee strike at his stomach, making Sasuke cough out some blood as he rolled forward clutching his stomach. Sakura, seeing Sasuke been hit, stopped for a moment only to be chopped in the back of the neck thus knocking her out. Kekoa jumped back and tossed a few of his fireworks at the Kusa Nin, whom jumped upwards onto a branch as the fireworks exploded around the place he had been.

Kekoa looked at the Kusa Nin and gritted his teeth, _If this guy is a Genin then I hate to see how strong the Jonin in Kusakagure no Sato (_**_Village Hidden in the Grass_**_) are!_

The Kusa Nin smiled, "I see you're not as stupid as your teammates…perhaps you can entertain me for a while."

Kekoa gulped slightly; _Yeah…I really wish I wasn't on this team right about now…_

_With Team Ienari…_

Naruto and Josuke watched with their mouths hanging open as Hinata petted the large tiger as though it was a mere kitten. She giggled as the large beast rubbed its neck on her body and purred.

Josuke shook his head as he muttered, "If I wasn't seeing this, I would never believe it…"

Naruto nodded in agreement with his brother on this one. They had been making a good progress into the forest when they had been jumped by a group of large tigers. Josuke and Naruto had taken care of most of the tigers, but had not been able to stop one from getting at Hinata. They had turned only to see Hinata slap one of the tiger on the face and shout at it as though it were a pet. Both had face-faulted when they saw the tiger actually act as though it were Hinata's pet and lower its head in shame. Hinata had then begun to pet the tiger, and now they were actually watching as it acted like a house cat.

Naruto looked at Hinata as he asked, "How the hell did you make it become docile in five seconds flat, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata smiled as she scratched behind the tiger's ears, "I've always been good with animals, Naruto-kun."

Josuke grinned, "Yeah, we noticed that…" he turned serious, "We better stop goofing off. We need to find a team to get a Heaven scroll so that we can get out of this damn forest."

Naruto nodded, "So do we separate and find one by ourselves or do we stick together and take down someone quickly?"

"Best bet we got," Josuke answered after thinking about it, "is if we go together for now. We wouldn't be able to communicate to each other if we were injured and alone, plus there is also the fact that Orochimaru or one of his allies could be here and we would need all the strength we got."

Naruto and Hinata nodded at this and began to move out, until Hinata was stopped by the tiger that she had been petting. She looked at it and smiled, "Sorry, _Tora-kun_ (**_Tiger, the Kun is just so that everyone understands that the cat is a guy_**), but I have to go."

Tora-kun, however, seemed to want Hinata to stay and pet for a while longer as it pulled on her jacket. Naruto growled at the tiger and muttered, "Let go of my girlfriend or else I'll make a rug out of you…"

Tora-kun seemed to understand the threat and quickly let go of Hinata's jacket. However, as Josuke, Naruto, and Hinata headed deeper into the forest, Tora-kun followed without any problems. Josuke and Naruto had the same thought as they made their way through the forest; _Hinata really has a way with animals for this tiger to be following us…_

Suddenly Tora-kun stopped following and began to growl at something, which soon was revealed to be a giant snake. Josuke looked at the snake and muttered, "First tigers and now giant snakes…why can't this forest just have normal animals like squirrels or birds…?"

Naruto grinned as he went down on all fours and answered in a growl, "Because otherwise things would just be too easy!"

The snake hissed and lashed at the group, hoping to swallow one of them. Naruto, Hinata, and Josuke dodged the attack and pulled out some kunai from their holsters. Naruto then jumped onto the snake's back and plunged his kunai right above the snake's eyes. The snake reeled back in pain, sending Naruto flying in the air. Josuke jumped at the snake as its head lash forward and plunged his kunai into its good eye. The snake once again reeled back and both Josuke and Naruto shouted, "Hinata, now!"

Hinata began to form hand seals and as the snake hissed at them she shouted, "_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_!"

The snake had, unfortunately, its mouth open when its head lashed forward and swallowed the blue fireball. It wavered for a few minutes before it fell forward and onto the forest floor. Naruto grabbed a stick and poked at the giant carcass for a while before he looked to his teammates and asked, "Think this is edible?"

Josuke and Hinata wrinkled their noses at the idea of eating a snake, and Hinata stated, "I don't think we want to eat this snake, Naruto-kun…"

Josuke then looked to the side and frowned, "We got company…"

Naruto grinned, "Finally! Now we can get the Heaven Scroll and get out of here!"

Josuke put his gauntlets on and murmured, "These guys aren't human, Naruto, they're Yôkai."

That got Naruto's and Hinata's attention, and both followed Josuke with caution as they neared the team. They soon came to a small clearing in the forest with three imposing figures over the corpses of a team from _Taki (__**Waterfall**_. One of the trio, a scrawny boy with a nose that resembled a beak from a bird, chuckled as he licked his lips, "**They were nice for a snack, wouldn't you agree, Hebimaru** _**Hebi means "Serpent/Snake" while Maru is a suffix used for boys thus the name would read as "Snake Man"**_"

A thin boy, the one supposedly called Hebimaru, nodded, "**Yesss, they were. But I cannot help but think that we sssshould've gotten more for our troublessss.**"

The last of the three, a large man with wide shoulders growled, "**You should be thankful that we got to eat this much, Hebimaru. You too, Karasumaru **_**Karasu means "Raven/Crow"**_ **so stop your bellyaching and let's go. This team didn't have an Earth Scroll either, so we might as well go looking again.**"

Karasumaru snorted, "**Hyoumaru **_**Hyou means "Leopard"**_ **you are acting like you're a human…**"

Hyoumaru grabbed Karasumaru by the throat and growled, "_**Never**_** bunch me up with those weaklings, or else you'll find yourself being roasted over a slow fire…**"

Hebimaru gave a yawn and asked, "**So what do we do with this Heaven scroll? Should we keep it or toss it away?**"

Hyoumaru let go of his 'teammate' and answered, "**Toss it. We got two already and besides, if another team finds it, we'll kill them in the next part of the exam.**"

Hebimaru tossed the scroll over his shoulder and followed his teammates as they jumped onto the trees and began making their way westward. Team Ienari watched as the Yôkai team disappeared before they decided to come out of their hiding place. Josuke went over to where the scroll and retrieved it while Naruto and Hinata used a Doton Jutsu to bury the bodies of the Taki Genin, and the three then gave a silent prayer. Josuke looked at his teammates after praying, "Guess we head towards the tower now…"

Just as both Hinata and Naruto were about to agree they all heard a very large explosion ensue from their left. Naruto's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "I know that kind of explosion anywhere!"

Josuke nodded, "Yeah, sounds like Kekoa and his team are having a hard time…we better go see what's going on."

With that, Team Ienari raced toward where they had seen the explosion, hoping that they weren't too late.

_With Team 7 at that moment…_

Kekoa and Sasuke breathed hard as they watched the Kusa Nin who called himself Orochimaru get up again, seemingly unharmed from the explosion that they had produced using Kekoa's fireworks and Sasuke's Katon Jutsus. They had been going on for about ten minutes like this, each trying to use stronger and deadlier attacks, but Orochimaru seemed unfazed by everything they had thrown at him.

Orochimaru smiled as he stated, "You two are very impressive for Genin…I have enjoyed my little fun, but I'm afraid that fun's over my young friends…"

Kekoa looked at Sasuke and asked, "Any idea…why this guy…doesn't stay dead?"

Sasuke responded, "I was hoping…you would know…"

Kekoa smirked, "Maybe…someone ought to tell him…that _we're_ the good guys…" _**A line from the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie, I love those guys**_

Sasuke growled, "How…can you make…jokes at a time like this…?"

Kekoa grinned, "Somebody…has to…or else we die…and never had a…good laugh about it…"

Sasuke shook his head as he eyed Orochimaru, whom seemed interested in their conversation. The Serpent Sannin smiled again taking a few steps forward, "As fun as your conversation is, I'm afraid you two have run out of both options and time."

Kekoa grinned as he pulled out several of his fireworks, and retorted, "Great…here I am about to die by the hands of a pedophile in a forest where my corpse might not be found and stuck as a Genin…Yep, I officially hate my life right now…"

Sasuke, however, charged at Orochimaru and tried a sweeping kick followed by a low roundhouse kick, both of which the pale shinobi dodged with ease. As Sasuke leaped forward, trying to deliver another punch, Orochimaru summoned a giant snake that quickly knocked Sasuke back into one of the trees. Kekoa, in the meantime, had used Sasuke's attacks as a diversion and was now on top of Orochimaru as he threw several of his fireworks around him and his snake. Orochimaru looked up in time to watch as the colorful orbs surrounded him and Kekoa shouted, "Take this! The Tategami Special: _Nagareboshi no Jutsu (__**Shooting Star Technique**_!"

Suddenly the fireworks all exploded with a bright and powerful bang that was heard throughout the forest. As Kekoa landed on another branch, he looked to see if he had done any damage, and was forced to dodge as the summoned snake, now burned in the face and neck, attacked him. He looked for Orochimaru, only to see the pedophile Nin having his neck stretched out outrageously and giving Sasuke what Kekoa could only make out as a hickey.

_Okay_, Kekoa thought as he dodged the snake again, _now __that__ is the most disgusting thing I've seen in my life!_

Orochimaru retracted his neck and watched as Sasuke fell down towards the forest floor, only to be rescued by Naruto, who leapt and caught him before he fell. Josuke and Hinata soon appeared beside Kekoa and Josuke asked, "Mind if we help out?"

Kekoa grinned, "Tell me, do you know why the Calvary always arrives late? I always wondered why they never come when you need them..."

Josuke shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine, Kekoa."

As Kekoa was about to say something witty in return, a sudden burst of chakra made them look as Naruto stood in front of Orochimaru glowing red. Naruto's tails waved back and forth, and as the red glow died down, Josuke and Hinata were the only ones able to see that Naruto had grown a seventh tail. Naruto grinned bestially at Orochimaru, and to the surprise of the others, disappeared completely before he shoulder tackled the Serpent Sannin into the tree behind him. Orochimaru crashed into the tree, and split it with the force that he had been dealt. As Naruto landed onto the branch the Sannin had been on, Orochimaru reappeared holding his side and obviously in pain.

He looked at Naruto and stated, "You're too late…I have already put the seal on Sasuke and now he will either die or live on as my new body…"

With those words, Orochimaru melted into the tree before Naruto or any of the others could react on time. Naruto blinked for a moment before he fell onto his back breathing hard. Josuke and Hinata soon appeared beside him, and Hinata asked, "Naruto-kun, what's wrong?"

Naruto grinned as he answered, "Nothing…I just didn't…expect to be drained…so quickly…"

Both of his teammates sighed in relief seeing that Naruto was only exhausted from gaining his new tail. Soon both them and Team 7 were sitting, or in the case of Sasuke, lying on the forest floor. Soon Josuke, Naruto, and Hinata got the entire story from Kekoa about Orochimaru and the fight between him and Sasuke. Kekoa sighed as he finished, "Then afterwards, I help Sasuke out with a lot of my good fireworks and we both tackled old creepy. I don't know how, but every time I thought we were going to win, the guy pulled out a new move and we were back to square one. Until you three came, it looked pretty hopeless from where I was standing."

Josuke nodded and smiled in reassurance, "No problem, Kekoa," he looked at Sasuke, "I better get rid of that seal now though."

Naruto looked at his brother, "Can't you leave it on him? We could get rid of him and his damn superiority complex," seeing the others, especially Sakura, glare at him, he added, "I was kidding, kidding!"

Josuke shook his head, a bit bemused at the idea Naruto had given them. He crawled over to Sasuke's side and began to call out on his _Zenten Chakra_, touching the seal that Orochimaru had planted. As the chakra touched the seal, however, something unexpected happen: Josuke was literally thrown back by the white chakra and smashed into a tree. As Josuke massaged his head, Hinata asked, "Josuke-kun, are you okay!?"

Josuke got up, still massaging his head, and answered, "I'm okay…but my pride might be injured…"

Naruto and Kekoa both smirked, thankful that Josuke was okay. Josuke activated his Byakugan and looked at the seal to see if there was something that was stopping him from destroying the seal. That was when he saw what looked like black blood spreading through Sasuke's entire blood system as well as his chakra coil system.

Josuke looked worried, "This is bad…there's some sort of black liquid in his system…"

Hinata soon checked Sasuke after hearing Josuke muttered the words. She looked at the others and shook her head in bafflement, "I don't know what the black liquid is, but it seems like it's a poison of some sort. It might've come with the bite that Kekoa-kun said that Orochimaru gave Sasuke."

Sakura looked at Hinata and asked, "Isn't there anything you can do!?"

Hinata looked at Sakura, "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, but I'm still learning poisons and cures. If I did anything to him right now, it might make things worse."

Josuke looked thoughtful for a while, and Naruto groaned out, "Don't tell me we're going to save him?"

Josuke looked apologetically at Naruto, "He's a Konoha shinobi, Naruto, and we're bound by a code of ethics to save all Konoha shinobi," he looked at Kekoa, "Which scroll do you guys have?"

Sakura was about to protest, but Kekoa answered before she could say anything, "The Heaven scroll."

Josuke nodded and activated his Byakugan again, "Okay…looks like there's a team heading this way…It's the Oto Team," he smiled as he deactivated his Byakugan, "They got an Earth scroll that you guys could use so that Sasuke can be treated by the professionals."

Kekoa looked at Josuke, "Thanks, I'll take care of them."

Josuke raised his hand and shook his head, "I understand you want to do this, but why don't you let one of us take care of this?"

Kekoa stared for a few minutes, but nodded after a while. Josuke then looked at Naruto and Hinata, "So do either one of you two wants to intercept them or should I go?"

Naruto got up and cracked his knuckles, "I'll go and get them…this will a perfect chance for me to try out my Yôkai form."

Josuke nodded and pointed Naruto to the direction that the Oto Genin Team was coming from. Naruto soon disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving his team and Team 7 behind. The young Kitsune soon could smell and hear the three Oto Genin coming his way, and smiled as he formed a hand seal and whispered, "**Yôkai Fūin - Kaiin** _**Demon Seal – Release**_!"

Naruto's body soon began to grow and shift into that of his true form. A golden fur soon began to cover his body as his clothes melted onto his skin. His pupils shifted into slits and the blue sapphire eyes shifted to an electric blue that would've mesmerized any who looked upon them. His teeth shifted to the shape of that of a regular fox, as his grew to be the size of an average elephant. Naruto's seven tails had extended somewhat and now seemed more as though they were made out of chakra rather than fur. The markings around his cheeks had now disappeared, replaced now by a dark shadowing that surrounded his eyes and made him look even more feral than before

Naruto grinned as he waited until the Oto Team was above him before he roared, and caused them to stop right above him. Naruto then quickly appeared before the three, growling and looking as threatening as he possibly could. One of the Genin, a guy with his hair sticking up, shouted, "What the hell is _that_!?"

Naruto smirked, showing his teeth and answered, "**This **_**thing**_**, as you put it, is a Kitsune Yôkai that is in the mood to kill someone and enjoy hearing them scream in pain and agony…**"

All three jumped at hearing Naruto, while he laughed inwardly at their reaction. All three went for their weapons, only to be stopped by Naruto's tails, which caught them by the neck. Naruto grinned and foamed a little for effect, "**I will give you three one chance…you can give me the scroll that you carry or…**"

Naruto used one of his free tails to swipe at one of the trees. At first nothing seemed to happen until the tree and three behind them slid down from being cut with great accuracy towards the forest floor. The three Genin looked horrified as Naruto asked, "**So what's it going to be…the scroll or would you prefer it if I ate your bodies after I cut them into bite size pieces?**"

The bandage guys raised his hand and through a few gasps answered, "Okay! We'll give it to you!"

The previous guy looked at the bandage guy, "Dosu, you bastard, don't give him the scroll!"

Dosu looked at his teammate, "Would you rather fight him, Zaku? None of us could kill him even if we worked together."

Soon Dosu produced the Earth Scroll and gave it to Naruto. Naruto soon let them go, and after giving them one more roar, watched as they ran away from him. Naruto chuckled as he returned to his Han'yô form, amused that he had scared the girl of the team so badly, she had apparently wet herself.

He grinned as he made his way back, thinking, _Wish they had been stronger then I could've at least had some more fun…_

_The next day; at the Tower…_

Josuke shook hands with Kekoa as they prepared to enter one of the doors that the tower had. Josuke looked at the now conscious Uchiha and whispered to Kekoa, "Watch out for anything that means the seal is reactivating…we'll tell our sensei and Hoshi-aneki about what happened."

Kekoa nodded and thanked them once again for helping them out. Soon Team 7 headed towards their own door. Naruto looked at his teammates, "Well let's get inside."

The others nodded and soon entered a large room, which was basically featureless except for a poster on the wall about what it meant to be a Chuunin. Hinata then produced both of their scrolls and opened them, letting them go just as she realized that they were in fact summoning scrolls. After a large puff of smoke, Ienari Kenji soon appeared before his team and smiled, "Well now…I was wondering when you three were going to reach the tower."

Josuke stood there dumbfounded along with Naruto as Hinata asked, "Did we make it on time, Kenji-sensei?"

Kenji produced a watch from within his cloak and nodded, "Yes, you three made it on time and I congratulate you for passing the second part of the Chuunin Exam."

Naruto and Josuke gave each other a high-five as they shouted, "YES!!!"

Kenji smiled at the boys' reaction, and then looked seriously at the three, "Did you three run into Orochimaru or any of his allies in the Forest?"

Soon Team Ienari told Kenji what had transpired within the Forest of Death and the discovery of a Yôkai team within the ranks of Genin. Kenji looked thoughtful for a while before he responded, "These news are a bit troubling, but nothing that we didn't prepare for. You three rest until the remainder of the Genin get here, understood?"

Team Ienari nodded and soon went off towards one of the hallways, intent on finding either a soft bed or food. Naruto and Josuke were soon able to find the latter, and to Josuke's surprise, Ayame and her father were both serving some ramen to two of the inactive Chuunin/Jonin. Josuke was unable to react as his girlfriend glomped him into the floor shouting, "Josuke-kun, you made it!"

Josuke blushed a bit but answered, "Good to see you too, Aya-chan. Could I ask you one favor?" he saw her nod, "Could you please let me up from the floor? I like being loved and everything, but I'm afraid that I can't enjoy it if I'm on the floor."

Ayame blushed and apologized before she got off of her boyfriend, as she was going to ask him and the others what they wanted, a voice called out, "Josuke, Naruto, Hinata!"

They turn around just in time to see Tayuya now glomping Josuke right into the floor. Josuke sighed as he looked from where he was on the floor, "I swear, if it wasn't for the fact that you two are completely different in looks, I would say you two were sisters now…"

Ayame smiled as she helped him up, "We both learned a lot about each other while you were in the forest."

Tayuya grinned as she ruffled Josuke's already messy hair, "And we can't help and miss our favorite baka."

That sent Naruto laughing, which stopped after his stomach growled out for food. After a few minutes, and lots of ramen, Naruto with the help of his team, told Ayame and Tayuya what had transpired in the Forest of Death while they were in it. They had to omit a few details but both girls soon got the idea of what had happened in there.

Josuke gave a yawn as he got up, "If you guys don't mind, I think I'll go and take a nap."

Tayuya and Ayame soon followed, saying something about "helping" Josuke take a nap, leaving the Kitsune Han'yô alone. Naruto looked at Hinata, and asked, "Should I feel sorry for him?"

Hinata giggled as she kissed Naruto on the cheek, "I think he's almost as lucky as you right now."

**_END OF CHAPTER 5_**_  
_  
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**_I hope the chapter was enjoyable for you guys, as it took me a while for me to decide on a few issues. Why didn't Josuke's Zenten Chakra work on Sasuke's seal? Where did Tora-kun go and what are the true motives of the _**_**Yôkai**_**_ Team? And who's going to fight who in the Preliminaries? See for yourself:_**

**_Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yoroi Akado_**

**_Aburame Shino vs. Tategami Kekoa (bugs and sparkles…cool!)_**

**_Kankuro vs. Misumi Tsurugi_**

**_Sakura vs. Ino_**

**_TenTen vs. Temari_**

**_Shikamaru vs. Tsuchi Kin_**

**_Naruto vs. Zaku Abumi (Go, Naruto, Go!)_**

**_Hinata vs. Neji (With a twist at the end of the battle!)_**

**_Josuke vs. Hyoumaru (Josuke will actually have a hard time!?)_**

**_Rock Lee vs. Inuzuka Kiba (Lee kicks butt, nuff said)_**

**_Gaara vs. Hebimaru (Gaara demonstrates what his sand and tail can really do!)_**

**_Chouji vs. Dosu_**

**_And finally; Ongaku Midori vs. Karasumaru (Guess who wins?)_**

**_With the next chapter things will get more and more interesting, promised! As to Sasuke, I'll be clear: I hate the guy point made and done. Only reason I'm writing is for Naruto to evolve in character and because otherwise the story wouldn't be Naruto (Damn him…)._**

**_That's all for now! _**

**_Shidyk D. Shade_**


	6. Chapter 6: The Chuunin Exams Part 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not, in any way or form, own any of the Naruto characters. However, I do own all made up characters of this AU.

**Bold- Biju/Yôkai talking**

**_Bold and Italic- Biju/ Yôkai thinking_**

_Italic- someone thinking/ Flashback _

_Italic and Underline- Time/location shift_

**_Bold and Italic and Underline- Translations, Title, or Narration_**

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**_Chapter 6 The Chuunin Exams- Hajime (Fight)!_**

**_What does it mean to be an outcast? What is so scary about being alone, with no one around? Is it total quiet one is given by his peers and his elders? Or is it the fact that no one can give the person what they crave for the most: Love? Whatever the answer, there is one sure fact among those who are outcasts: though they are outcasts, there are others like them..._**

Josuke gave a yawn as he awoke to the last day that any participants could enter the tower. He, Naruto, and Hinata had each spent their time training or merely hanging around with one of their friends as they waited for the rest of the teams to enter the tower and begin the third part of the Exam. Lee and his team had entered the tower the day after they had arrived, and now Shikamaru's team and the Oto Genin seemed to be the lasts one not in the tower that Naruto and the others knew about.

Josuke began to move when he felt oddly trapped between two very soft things. As his vision cleared, Josuke smiled a little at seeing both of his girlfriends laying on him, sleeping peacefully while each held him around the waist. Josuke couldn't help but remember how Ayame and Tayuya had both "helped" him take a nap two days ago. The experience had been…interesting, to say the least. During the last two days, Josuke had grown used to the company of both of his girlfriends that things like sleeping together in the same bed was now more commonplace than it might've been a few days ago.

He smiled as he kissed both and whispered, "Okay, you two, I need to get up and get ready."

Ayame soon stirred and yawned as she greeted Josuke sleepily with a kiss, "Good Morning, Josuke-kun…"

Josuke smiled as he answered, "Good Morning to you too, Aya-chan."

Josuke looked at Tayuya, who continued to sleep peacefully as she whispered something that sounded like "five more minutes". Josuke shook his head as he gently shook her, "Tayuya-chan, I need to get ready…"

Tayuya yawned as she opened one eye slightly and asked, "Do I have to? It's nice and comfy here…"

Josuke petted her head as he answered, "Sorry, but I gotta get ready for the matches today."

Tayuya pouted and tried to make Josuke stayed with her and Ayame a few more minutes, but Josuke in the end won. Josuke soon threw on a shirt, his black hoody, and his cargo shorts before he gave another yawn and stretched for a few minutes before putting his shinobi sandals. As he finished strapping his kunai holster, he looked around for his sunglasses. He looked to Ayame who had gotten up, "Aya-chan, do you know where I put my sunglasses?"

Ayame shook her head, "Sorry, Josuke-kun, but I didn't see where you put them."

Tayuya yawned as she pointed at the table that was in the room, "Didn't you put them over there?"

Josuke looked on the table and under it before he replied, "Found them!"

As he put his sunglasses on, Tayuya asked, "Can I ask you something before you go, Josuke?"

Josuke nodded and Tayuya continued, "Why do you always wear those sunglasses? I can understand if you don't like the sun, but I barely see your eyes from wearing those damn things every single day!"

Josuke looked a bit uncomfortable for a moment, before he answered, "Do you mind if I answer that after the Preliminaries? I want to make it over there in time."

Tayuya and now Ayame both looked suspiciously at Josuke, but agreed that they would hear about it later. Josuke soon ran off to meet his teammates in the arena that the third Exam would take place, while his thoughts went back to what Tayuya had just asked. It had just occurred to him that Tayuya was right in that Josuke was rarely seen without his black sunglasses. He sighed as he knew the reason as to why he wore them: he was afraid. Afraid that the moment he took them off, every Hyuga other than Hinata or person who hated him would soon be after him like the Hyuga that had attacked him years ago. Since that day, Josuke had always hidden his eyes or averted his gaze from everyone, fearing that they too would react just like the Hyuga. The only exceptions to this rule were Ayame, Tayuya, Naruto, Hinata, and Kenji as they had seen him without his sunglasses at one point or another.

Josuke soon reached the arena where his teammates and the others were now standing, waiting for the third Exam to begin. Josuke greeted his teammates, "Yo, Naruto, Hinata-hime!"

Naruto and Hinata greeted him in return, and became quiet as the Sandaime Hokage and several Jonin-level shinobi appeared before the gathered Genin. He looked at the Genin and the beginnings of a smile crept into his face as he saw that most of the Genin gathered were from Konoha and that it was the Rookies of this year.

Kakashi looked to his right for a moment to look at Ienari Kenji speaking with Maito Gai silently. This impressed him a lot as Gai was by far one of the loudest men Kakashi had met, and to be speaking at any low level at all was near unimaginable. Kakashi turned back in time to hear the Hokage and the proctor of the third Exam, Hayate Gekko, finished explaining about the third part of the Exam. Kakashi then saw Sasuke and Kekoa muttered something to each other and Kekoa seemed to become angered at whatever Sasuke had said to him. Kakashi could only guess that Kekoa had been either insulted or riled by one of Sasuke's remarks. He had had his hands full whenever the Tategami and the Uchiha crossed paths, and he usually had to figure out a way to break them apart for the time being so that he could get a peace of mind.

"Very well," Hayate stated, "Let's begin the first match of the preliminaries then…"

Everyone looked at the giant screen above the stone hands that were in the arena. Several names flashed by on the board until it stopped at two:

_**Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yoroi Akado**_

Hayate looked at the Genin and then stated, "Alright, Uchiha Sasuke and Yoroi Akado please stay here. Everyone else please clear the arena."

Soon everyone other than Sasuke and a guy in a veil and black sunglasses stood in the arena. Sasuke smiled evilly, which made everyone, especially Team Ienari, extremely discomforted.

Naruto looked at Kenji, "Oi, Kenji-jii-san, did you check on that seal and the black stuff?"

Kenji nodded, "I did, as well as Hoshi, Hachiro, and Sakenomi. We were able to stop the seal from harming Sasuke physically, however, the black liquid…"

Josuke finished for his sensei, "Screwed up his head in some way?"

Kenji nodded, "Crudely put, but correct. The black liquid is unknown to even Hoshi, whose medical skills rival those of the Sannin known as Tsunade."

Now Team Ienari looked worried as they heard Hayate announced, "The 1st match of the Preliminaries: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yoroi Akado…_**Hajime**_ (_**A Japanese term roughly meaning "Fight"**_)!"

Everyone gasped as Sasuke became a blur and delivered a kick towards Akado's head, which the Leaf Genin dodged in time by jumping back. Sasuke, however, used the momentum of his previous attack to continue forward and flipped in time to deliver another kick which hit the target's shoulder. As Akado recovered from the strike Sasuke punched the elder Genin in the face and continued his onslaught until Akado was dead center in the arena.

Sasuke grinned as he told Akado, "Time that I tried something interesting…"

With those words, Sasuke delivered a kick at Akado's chin that threw him high into the air. Sasuke then quickly jumped after him, and appeared right behind Akado in a move that Lee, Naruto, and Josuke all knew.

_That's…_the trio thought, _That's Lee's/my __**Omote Renge **_(_**Front Lotus**_)

Both Naruto and Josuke looked at Lee with the same stare as Naruto asked, "Gejimayo (_**This is Naruto's nickname for Lee, it means "Fuzzy-brows"**_), did you fight Sasuke-teme beforehand?"

Lee nodded, "Yes, I did. I was going to use my _Omote Renge_ against him, but I was stopped by Gai-sensei before I could use it."

That was when both looked at Sasuke as he began to finish the Jutsu, and noticed that it wasn't the _Omote Renge _at all. Sasuke performed a kick to the left side of his opponent which Akado blocked with ease. However, he quickly went into a backhand strike to the face, added one straight punch to the gut that began to send Akado towards the ground. As both near the ground, Sasuke finished with a spinning kick that landed his left heel on the center of Akado, just before they both hit the ground, with Sasuke shouting, "_Shishi Rendan_ (_**Lion Combo**_)!"

Everyone watched as the kick made Akado recoil slightly before he finally lay on the floor, blood streaming from his mouth. Sasuke soon rolled away and winced slightly from the strain his muscles had gotten from the attack. Hayate checked on Akado and nodded as he stated, "Winner of the 1st match: Uchiha Sasuke!"

A few people clapped, though this was done halfheartedly as none of them could get over how ruthless Sasuke had been against Akado. Sasuke soon walked the stairs and sat behind his team as the board flashed again to life and pronounced the next fighters:

_**Aburame Shino vs. Tategami Kekoa**_

Kekoa sighed as he muttered, "Figures…I never get to relax…"

Kekoa soon jumped down from where he had been and met Shino in the center of the arena. He looked at the young Aburame and stated, "No offense, Shino, but I have to finish this quick in order to make sure I pay Sasuke back for that insult he gave me earlier in the Finals."

Shino looked at Kekoa indifferently and retorted in a stoic voice, "I apologize then for I too wish to go to the Finals."

A slight buzzing sound could then be heard as a swarm of insects soon enveloped Shino's arms. Kekoa for his part pulled out several fireworks and even put some in his mouth and had a look of determination in his face. Hayate looked at both combatants and called out, "The 2nd match of the Preliminaries: Aburame Shino vs. Tategami Kekoa! Hajime!"

Kekoa soon threw several of his fireworks at Shino and performed a hand seal which ignited them and caused a large explosion. Kekoa soon back flipped a few meters back, as he pulled out several more fireworks, but instead of throwing them where Shino was at, he threw them into the air. Shino soon appeared, a sleeve charred from the blast, but otherwise unharmed as he charged Kekoa. Kekoa soon pulled out more fireworks and threw them at Shino and performed another hand seal as he shouted, "Here's a Tategami Special! _Samidare no Jutsu_ (_**Early Summer Rain Technique**_)!"

Shino was soon surrounded by not only the fireworks that Kekoa had thrown at him, but also the ones that Kekoa had thrown into the air earlier. Kekoa grinned as the smoke began to clear as he began to undo his thermos, _That should do it…_

That was when Kekoa fell to his knees and noticed the chattering behind him as well on his leg. He stole a glance behind him and saw that his leg was covered completely in insects, and Shino was standing right behind him. Kekoa looked where Shino should've been and saw more bugs, realizing that Shino must've used a clone technique while Kekoa set his second attack.

Kekoa raised one arm as he told the proctor, "I give up."

Hayate looked at Kekoa and asked, "Are you sure?"

The Tategami nodded, "I know when I'm beaten, and right now, I doubt I could pull a comeback."

The proctor grinned slightly seeing that Kekoa would've made a decent Chuunin had he won, "Winner of the 2nd match: Aburame Shino!"

The bugs soon returned back into Shino and he helped Kekoa up. Kekoa looked at Shino and nodded, "Great match, Shino, and congratulations on your win."

Shino nodded silently in return, which Kekoa decided to take as his way of saying "thank you". The screen soon returned to life and gave the names of the next combatants:

_**Sabaku no Kankuro vs. Misumi Tsurugi**_

Kankuro grinned as he leapt downwards towards the arena as another veiled member of Kabuto's team took to the stage. Kankuro snorted as he said, "This match won't last more than one minute if you're my opponent…"

"We'll see about that…" Misumi retorted.

Hayate soon called out, "The 3rd match of the Preliminaries: Sabaku no Kankuro vs. Misumi Tsurugi! Hajime!"

Misumi didn't waste any time and charged Kankuro, and to everyone's amazement, literally wrapped his arms and legs to hold the "Suna" Genin in place. Kankuro tried futilely to move, but Misumi had him trapped perfectly. Misumi laughed darkly, "Now…how about I crack that neck of yours?"

Everyone watched as Misumi kept his promise and snapped Kankuro's neck with a sickening crack. As Hayate was about to announce the results, Kankuro's voice filled the air, "I guess it's time I took you more seriously…"

The gathered shinobi watched as Kankuro's head suddenly snapped back and looked at Misumi, the face melting away. Soon several arms jutted out of Kankuro and grabbed the Konoha Genin. Misumi struggled to free himself, while he noticed the real Kankuro soon come out from the bandage package that he had thought the puppet had been in. Kankuro as he said, "My turn to see if you can counter with a broken neck."

Kankuro waved his hand slightly and another sickening crack was heard. Misumi's head soon hung at an odd angle, which prompted Hayate to finish what he had been saying, "Winner of the 3rd match: Sabaku no Kankuro!"

Both Team Ienari and the remainder of the "Suna" siblings clapped at Kankuro's win. As Kankuro made it back with his teammates, the screen flashed again and stopped at the next set of names:

_**Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino**_

_**Author Notes:**_ (_**I'm going to skip this fight since it was the same as that of the anime and manga. No point in retelling that much anyway**_).

As both Asuma and Kakashi set the girls down, the screen flashed again and stopped:

_**Sabaku no Temari vs. TenTen**_

Temari and TenTen soon made their way into the arena and got ready to fight. Hayate looked at both combatants and shouted, "The 5th match of the Preliminaries: Sabaku no Temari vs. TenTen! Hajime!"

Temari didn't waste any time as she opened her giant fan and swung it with incredible force, "_Kamaitachi no Jutsu_ (_**Cutting Whirlwind Technique**)_!"

TenTen had no time to react as she was hurled backwards and into a wall, knocking her out instantly. Temari soon closed her fan, thinking, _Hopefully she'll be okay. I held back slightly so that shouldn't have caused any permanent damage._

Temari soon made it back with her brothers as the screen stopped once more:

_**Nara Shikamaru vs. Tsuchi Kin**_

Shikamaru sighed as he got to the center of the arena, "This is way too troublesome…I mean it's bad enough I have to fight, but against a girl as well?"

Kin didn't take the comment very well as she glared at Shikamaru. Hayate soon called out, "The 6th match of the Preliminaries: Nara Shikamaru vs. Tsuchi Kin! Hajime!"

Kin didn't waste time as she threw several needles at Shikamaru, whom despite being lazy, dodged them with ease. He looked behind him and smirked, "Please no this old trick…let me take a guess and say that you're going to throw several senbon needles at me with both bells and no bells. Like I'm going to be stupid enough not to dodge them all."

Kin grinned as a small ring soon caught Shikamaru's attention, and Shikamaru cursed himself, _Shit! Those bells are for Genjutsu!_

Just as this thought went across his mind, Kin showered him with needles as Shikamaru laid within the illusion. Kin laughed as she sneered, "So, smart guy, how are you going to get out of this one!?"

Suddenly Kin froze and shook as though she was now trying to move but couldn't. Shikamaru grinned as he looked up, "_Kagemane no Jutsu_ (_**Shadow Possession Technique**_) success."

Kin looked dumbfounded as she shouted, "But how!?"

Shikamaru smirked as he answered, "Those bells had to be rung somehow…"

Kin watched as the near invisible string's shadow that she had been using moved around slightly. Shikamaru then pulled a shuriken and Kin followed suit against her wishes. Both tossed their shuriken at each other, and waited until the last second before they ducked. However, Kin was close to the wall of the arena and bonked her head on the wall hard, knocking her out. Shikamaru pulled out a few of the needles as he remarked, "A shinobi must always be aware of his or her environment…"

"Winner of the 6th match: Nara Shikamaru!" Hayate called out as the screen began to shift once more. Naruto groaned as he said, "Come on! I want to fight!"

Hinata petted her boyfriend's head as she said, "You'll fight soon Naruto-kun, you just have to be patient."

The screen soon stopped at the next set of names:

_**Uzumaki Naruto vs. Zaku Aburami**_

Josuke let a small sweatdrop slide down his head as he muttered, "Or you get what you want when you ask for it…"

Naruto grinned as he shouted, "Alright! Finally! Now I get to show everyone what I'm made off!"

Naruto soon was at the center of the arena with the Oto Genin. Zaku's eyes widened when he saw Naruto's tails and ears and exclaimed, "You're that thing from the forest!"

Naruto gave one of his trademark fox grins as he stated, "Yep, and now I'm going to beat you with the same technique I was using back then!"

Zaku now looked nervous as Hayate yelled, "The 7th match of the Preliminaries: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Zaku Aburami! Hajime!"

Naruto formed a few hand seals before he shouted, "_Yôkai Fūin – Kaiin_!"

Soon the transformation that had happened in the Forest of Death happened once more, startling everyone other than Team Ienari and the "Suna" Team. Naruto grinned, showing off his large fangs and teeth, as he asked Zaku, "**Are you ready to give up or do you want to struggle a little? It's your choice…**"

Zaku took a step back before he gritted his teeth and he shouted, "DAMN YOU!!! DIE! _Zankūkyokuha_ (_**Extreme Decapitating Air Waves**_)!"

Zaku's attack let out a powerful burst of wind that hit Naruto head on. However, Naruto stood in place, and in fact, wasn't even getting cut at all. Zaku noticed this and began to step back in fear as Naruto grinned, "**That's too bad…Guess it's my turn now.**"

Zaku soon waved his hands in front of him, "Wait, please, I beg of you!"

All of Naruto's tails soon waved upwards before they all slammed into the Oto Genin sending him into the wall. As Zaku gasped for air, Naruto created two more clones and tossed Zaku into the air with one of his claws. The clones and Naruto roared as their tails soon whipped at Zaku, "_Gekiha Kitsune Rendan_ (_**Crushing Fox Barrage**_)!"

Zaku yelled in pain as each tail whipped at his body before he crashed into the floor, unconscious and with several gashes on his body. As Naruto reverted back into his Han'yô form, Hayate stated, "The winner of the 7th match: Uzumaki Naruto!"

Josuke smiled as he cheered, "Nice one, Naruto!"

Naruto grinned back as he went up the stairs and was about to ask Kenji how he had done, when he saw the elder Ienari's sour expression. Kenji looked hard at Naruto as he scowled, "Naruto…how many times in total have you used that form?"

"T-two," Naruto answered; somewhat amazed that he had stuttered.

Kenji looked at Naruto hard, "Do not, I repeat, **DO NOT** undo the seal unless there is a reason why you must do so."

Naruto nodded and became quiet as the screen began to once again flip through names. Josuke then noticed someone coming towards them, and gasped when he recognized Hyuga Hiashi. Kenji took noticed and asked the Hyuga leader, "Hiashi-sama, to what do we owe your presence?"

Hiashi gave Kenji and Team Ienari a cold glare as he answered, "I came here to see Neji fight and bring honor to the Hyuga name," Hiashi then sneered, "Unless, of course, he's already won."

Kenji shook his head, "I'm afraid he has not fought yet, but his fight should coming up soon."

As Kenji finished his sentence, the screen showed the name of the next contestants:

_**Hyuga Hinata vs. Hyuga Neji**_

Hiashi smirked, "It seems you were correct, Kenji-san."

Hinata soon went to the center of the arena, where both Hayate and Neji waited. Hinata faced Neji and greeted him, "It has been a while, Neji-nii-san."

Neji looked disgusted as he asked, "_Neji-nii-san_? You dare call me that after having your blood contaminated with that of the Yôkai? You are a monster now, and nothing can change that fact, Hinata."

Hinata looked sadden and closed her eyes for a moment, "I'm sorry, Neji-nii-san...I'm sorry that I was unable to help you or the clan…"

Neji stared hard at Hinata, "Help me…?"

Hinata opened her eyes as she continued, "I wanted for the Hyuga clan to change for the better so that no one would suffer anymore. When I was changed into a Kitsune, I knew that I would not be loved and that even my own father would not see me as his daughter. My dream was taken from me at the time," Hinata then became serious, "However, I will not give up! I will continue to try and change the clan even though I'm not part of it, for I will not go back on my word for that is my Nindo!"

Naruto and Josuke smiled as they recognized the Nindo that both of them also shared with Hinata. Neji's glare didn't change as he stated, "Your fate was already determined when you loved that freak up there…I will make you see that you cannot change destiny!"

Hayate looked at both Hyuga and called out, "The 8th match of the Preliminaries: Hyuga Hinata vs. Hyuga Neji! Hajime!"

Hinata and Neji both activated their Byakugan and charged each other. Soon both delivered several Jūken palm attacks, which both dodged before they delivered another strike. Neji soon jumped back and got into a stance where he crouched down somewhat with his arms extending before and behind him at a diagonal angle. Hinata recognized the stand and took her own, mirroring Neji's perfectly.

Both Hyuga then charged each other as they shouted in unison, "_Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (__**Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms**)_!"

Both Hyuga struck at each other with two blows, then four, then eight, then sixteen, then thirty-two, and finally sixty four strikes were delivered in succession. As both jumped back, Neji and Hinata breathed raggedly as they sized each other up. In the stands, Hiashi was having a hard time believing what just happened. Hinata had not only performed the _Hakke Rokujūyon Shō_ perfectly, but she had used her attack to cancel out Neji's from doing any effect.

Josuke whistled as he murmured, "Hinata-hime's speed and power have really increased since the last time we've dueled…"

Naruto chuckled, "Considering how roughly she's trained, I'm not surprised Hinata-chan has gotten stronger. She'll win this fight and then set everything straight, just watch…"

A slight pang was now stabbing at Hiashi's heart when he heard both boys' talk, one that confused the Hyuga leader for a moment before he realized what it was that was causing him pain: he was feeling as though he had been denied something important by not watching just how strong his former daughter had grown. He looked at Hinata and blinked a few times when he saw two other women standing beside the girl, and realized who those women were. The first looked much like Hinata except for the fox ears and tails, while the other looked like any regular Hyuga woman aside from the gray eyes that Josuke shared with her.

The former had looked much like his deceased wife, _Hikari_ (_**Light**_), and the other had looked suspiciously like Masami, the most eccentric member of the Hyuga. Both women had been very independent and strong-minded, not to mention excellent shinobi when they had been on duty. Hiashi remembered how he had been lucky in having Hikari as a wife and how her love for others had made her tried numerous times in removing the _Bird Cage Seal_ from the Branch Family, and how she and a young Hinata would always decorate the walls of the Branch Family's Compound with flowers every month. Ever since his death, however, Hiashi realized that he had been neglecting Hinata from doing anything that would remind him of his wife.

Masami had been…odd ever since she had been born. She was a distantly related cousin to Hiashi and his deceased brother, Hizashi, and was the only Hyuga in history to have different colored eyes. Masami had always believed that others should follow their own paths, and go forward when others told her to stop. The Hyuga Council had never liked her ideas of equality to all members of the clan, and she had been forced several times to stop what she had been doing. She had married a young man from the Ienari clan, and afterwards died in child labor, giving birth to Josuke. Hiashi and Hikari had been there and had heard her proclamation that Josuke would bring change to the Hyuga clan along with Hinata.

Seeing Hinata fight against Neji made him realized just how low the Hyuga clan had fallen from the once proud and graceful clan that they always had said they were. The Branch Family hated the Main Family, and how cold the interaction between both Families's was. The Hyuga were now being remembered for their coldness rather than their Jutsus or their contribution to Konoha's welfare. Hiashi hid his emotions from the others but in his mind he was for the first time since Hikari's death: he was crying, _Oh, Hikari…how far have I gone to make things turn out to be this badly? How deep is this hole that I have dug with my anger and sadness? Not only have I driven the one child who would've made a difference, but I have ostracized a young man from ever becoming a part of a great heritage…_

Neji couldn't believe that he was being repelled by his younger, and supposedly, weaker cousin. He had been called a genius among the Hyuga for his superb fighting skill and his Byakugan, but neither seemed to be giving him an advantage in the fight as it went on. Neji had no idea how Hinata had gotten stronger in such a short amount of time, and began to blame the Yôkai part of her for the sudden strength. However, this idea had gone sailing into the sunset when he had seen that she had not used her secondary chakra since the fight began. He had come to the conclusion that she was fighting in human terms and would not use her new Yôkai heritage against him. Words failed, mind games failed, Jutsus failed, and now his strength was failing at stopping this new Hinata from defeating him.

Hinata soon took an odd stance: her arms were in the same position as that of the _Hakke Rokujūyon Shō_; however her hands were in the shape of a feline's claws rather than palms. From above Josuke grinned as he recognized the stand for a stronger version of his own _Shichi Gami Kyuuten_. Josuke could only watched as Hinata charged Neji once more and delivered fourteen rapid strikes at various parts of Neji's upper body before she shouted, "_Juuyon Gami Kyuuten (__**Fourteen Graceful Heavens**)_!"

Neji coughed out blood as he was tossed backwards from the force of the attack and landed on the floor staring at the ceiling. He looked at Hinata as his body quivered from the attack, _What was that!? I've never seen such a Jutsu before in the scrolls of the Hyuga! _

Hinata looked up towards Josuke and smiled in thanks for showing her the Jutsu that she had just used. Josuke, for his part, grinned back as he gave Hinata a thumbs up and mouthed, "Excellent job, Hinata-hime."

Hayate looked at Neji, who was clearly unable to get up, and shouted, "The winner of the 8th match: Hyuga Hinata!"

Everyone stood quiet for a moment before the remainder of Team Ienari, the "Suna" siblings, Team 8, and Team 10 exploded in applause at Hinata's incredible victory over her "genius" cousin. Hinata walked over to her cousin and kneeled beside him as he was being taken away by Medic-Nin to get healed. She bowed her head once as she said, "I apologize for how rough I was, Neji-nii-san. I will visit you in the hospital after I've watched the rest of the matches," in a whisper, she added, "And I will get rid of the Seal for you and everyone in the Branch Family, no matter what…"

Neji's eyes widened at the last statement, and his surprised face stood with him as he was taken away. Hinata soon returned to her team, and looked at Hiashi as he looked at her. The tension between them grew and grew until Hiashi nodded at Hinata and muttered, "Well done…Hinata-san…congratulations on your win…"

Hinata's breath was stolen away for a moment before she recovered quickly and bowed, "Thank you, Hiashi-sama…"

Naruto then hugged Hinata as he kissed her and shouted, "You were amazing, Hinata-chan! What was that move you used at the end?"

Hinata blushed at the attention she was getting from her boyfriend before she responded, "That was one of Josuke-kun's Jutsus. He taught it to me thinking that I could use it some time."

Hiashi looked at Josuke, who averted his gaze quickly from the elder Hyuga and watched as the screen stopped at the next pair of names:

_**Ienari Josuke vs. Hyoumaru**_

From the opposite side of the room, the tall Yôkai roared, "**Finally! I wondered if that stupid machine would ever choose me!**"

Josuke grinned as he jumped down to the arena's floor and stated, "It's your bad luck, though, that you have to fight me."

Hyoumaru chuckled darkly, "**Is that so?**"

Hayate looked at both combatants and announced, "The 9th match of the Preliminaries: Ienari Josuke vs. Hyoumaru! Hajime!"

Hyoumaru soon jumped back several feet away from Josuke and performed several seals as he them slammed his palms to the floor and shouted, "_**Yôkai Gige: Naibun Kuro Nankan no Jutsu **(__**Yôkai Arts: Secret Black Barrier Technique**)_!"

Suddenly a black flame appeared around Hyoumaru's palms that soon went to the side of the arena before it surrounded both him and Josuke. Josuke looked around as the flames leapt into the air and touched the ceiling making it impossible to enter or exit. Josuke looked at Hyoumaru and asked, "Mind telling me why you put a barrier around us?"

Hyoumaru laughed as he began to be surrounded in purple chakra, "**I don't want any interruptions for my hunt.**"

Josuke watched as the large Yôkai shifted into his true form and activated his Byakugan. Soon Hyoumaru reappeared completely changed from the tall young man that he had been a minute ago: his shoulders had widened to a larger degree and his arms now reached nearly to the floor. Hyoumaru's legs had shifted so that they resembled that of a large jungle cat, and his entire body had now been covered in a leopard's fur. His hair had even extended to his waist, though his face for the most part had remained unchanged.

Hyoumaru licked his lips as he asked, "**Are you prepared to be defeated at the hands of a true hunter?**"

Josuke, however, went into a defensive stance and waited to see what Hyoumaru was capable off; _If I can see his attacks for about two minutes then this match is mine!_

Josuke gasped as he watched the large Yôkai disappear, only to reappear and strike him on the head with a mighty punch. Josuke was able to land on his feet, but was once again attacked by the Yôkai when he began to regain his balance. As Josuke skidded on the floor and tried to get back up, Hyoumaru appeared from above and slammed into him, causing Josuke to sink into the floor by the weight. Josuke gasped in pain as he lay there as Hyoumaru circled around him, licking his lips.

"**So this is the great Ienari I've been hearing about?**" he asked Josuke as he got up, "**You don't even have the strength or speed to keep up!**"

Josuke winced from the pain his body was exhibiting and looked at the Yôkai as he thought, _This is completely different from the other times…He's faster and stronger than the Centipede Yôkai or the Spider Yôkai that we've faced. He's got an advantage on both height and reach, and his speed is almost as fast as Lee's without his weights...If I didn't know any better, I say this was done on purpose to test my individual abilities…_

Hyoumaru chuckled as he lowered his body slightly, "**It's too bad that you can't be killed. It if weren't for my orders to keep you alive then I would've gladly killed you like I've done to every Ienari I've met…**"

Josuke got up and took his stance again before Hyoumaru charged forward at him. As Hyoumaru was about to hit him, Josuke began to spin in place as he shouted, "_Hakkeshō Kaiten_ (_**Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin**_)!"

Hyoumaru was tossed back as a huge surge of chakra surrounded Josuke. As Hyoumaru landed on his feet, Josuke stopped spinning for a moment and charged at the Yôkai and began to perform the _Hakke Rokujūyon Shō_. As he began to strike the Yôkai, Hyoumaru grabbed his arms and stopped the attack before it touched him. The Leopard Yôkai looked at the surprised Ienari, "**Fool! I have a longer reach than yours! You'll never get close enough to defeat me!**"

With that Hyoumaru tossed Josuke into one of the barrier's walls and watched as the younger Ienari writhed in pain after hitting the black flames. The Leopard Yôkai smiled as wind began to spin around two of his fingers, "**Let's see just how fast you can dodge this! **_**Kaze no Yaiba** (__**Blade of Wind**_)"

Josuke rolled to the side dodging the wind as it slice the floor intending to cut him in half. Hyoumaru soon appeared in front of Josuke again and grabbed him by the face before he slammed him onto the barrier's wall. Josuke screamed in pain as the black flames hit the back of his body, and he began to feel his body burn. Hyoumaru grabbed the sunglasses that lay on the floor and looked at them for a moment before he smiled cruelly, "**Perhaps I will crush you like what I'm about to do this sunglasses…Yes, I'll tear you limb from limb and keep you slightly alive so that my masters can't say I didn't do my job.**"

Josuke watched through one eye as Hyoumaru crushed the sunglasses that Josuke had used for years in his large hand and let the pieces fall to the floor. As each piece fell to the floor, Josuke remembered the people he had shared good times behind those shades: Iruka; who had given him the sunglasses, his greatest friends; Chouji and Shikamaru, Naruto; the boy/Han'yô that was like a brother to him, Hinata; the first Hyuga to have ever been kind to him, Kenji; the man that Josuke wanted to be like, and recently Tayuya and Ayame; the two sole girls that saw Josuke as himself. As the last shard fell, he looked at the Yôkai as his _Zenten chakra_ began to manifest around his hands and arms, while he grabbed the arm of the Leopard Yôkai, "You bastard…I'm not going to forgive you!"

Hyoumaru roared in pain as he let Josuke go, and wasn't prepared when Josuke hit him with a _Shichi Gami Kyuuten_. As the Yôkai tried to regain his composure, Josuke charged up both of his palms with his _Zenten chakra_ before he charged at Hyoumaru and delivered a double palm thrust at his upper body, "_Tsuin __Hantei Hirate_ (_**Twin Judgment Palm**)_!"

Hyoumaru stood there for a few moments before his eyes went to the back of his head and he began to fall. Soon the Yôkai fell onto the floor, dead from the powerful blast that Josuke had released with his attack. Josuke then looked at the barrier, which didn't die out with Hyoumaru's defeat and moved his fingers slightly, wondering if he should use his _Zenten chakra_ to break it. As Josuke prepared to call out his white chakra, something large and powerful grabbed him by the neck and made him rise a few feet off the ground. Josuke's eyes widened when he saw with the aide of his Byakugan the dead body of Hyoumaru holding him in the air with the dead expression on its face and something black oozing from its mouth.

The sound of dry laughter filled the air as Hyoumaru's dead body replied, "**Ssso you're the lassst of the Ienari clan…How are you? I hope thisss fool hasssn't hurt you too badly. After all, I need you to open the door that will lead me to your home…**"

Josuke watched as the black ooze moved forward, getting closer and closer to him. Something about this black thing made Josuke afraid, more afraid of when someone would see his eyes and even more so than dying. So without thinking, Josuke called out all of his _Zenten chakra_ as the black ooze almost touched the back of his head. The result was incredible as the chakra destroyed the black ooze, the body of Hyoumaru, and the barrier disappeared as the _Zenten chakra_ touched them in turn. Those who were watching the stage covered their eyes as the blast erupted into full view, and had to wait about three minutes before the chakra reverted back into Josuke, whom fell to his knees and was breathing raggedly.

Hayate seeing that Hyoumaru was nowhere to be seen declared, "Winner of the 9th match: Ienari Josuke!"

The remnants of Team Ienari, Team "Suna," Team 10, Team 7, and Team 8 cheered and gave Josuke a round of applause. Naruto, Hinata, and Kenji soon appeared beside Josuke and Team Ienari's sensei asked, "Are you alright, Josuke?"

Josuke looked at Kenji and grinned a little, "Yeah…I'm fine…listen, we need to talk…after I've recovered…"

Kenji nodded as Hinata and Naruto helped their teammate rise up and walk him back to where they had been a moment ago. Josuke was set down and allowed to rest as the screen began to shift through the remaining names. Hiashi kneeled so that he was at Josuke's level and asked, "Tell me, who taught you to use _Jūken_? I don't remember ever seeing you near the Compound and I doubt you would steal any of our scrolls…"

Josuke didn't make contact with the elder Hyuga and stated quietly, "I'm sorry…but I can't tell you anything. I made a promised not to reveal to anyone where I learned the Taijutsu style."

Hiashi nodded, "Very well. I won't press the matter," he then touched Josuke's shoulder, whom winced at the touch, as he added, "However, if you visit a small grove near the Hokage's Monument, you will find someone who will teach you some more advanced techniques…"

Josuke's eyes widened when he realized what Hiashi had just said. As the thought of being taught a more powerful version of the _Jūken _came to his mind, the screen finally stopped at:

_**Rock Lee vs. Inuzuka Kiba**_

Rock Lee clenched his fist as he shouted, "Yosh! Now it is my turn to fill this arena with the power of my Flames of Youth!"

Kiba grinned as he boasted, "This is going to be way too easy! Right, Akamaru?"

Akamaru barked in agreement with his owner as both stood now in the middle of the arena. Hayate nodded as he announced, "The 10th match of the Preliminaries: Rock Lee vs. Inuzuka Kiba! Hajime!"

With those words, Lee charged at Kiba and delivered a powerful sweep at Kiba, "_Konoha Reppū_ (_**Leaf Gale**_)!"

Kiba smashed into the ground, as Lee flipped backwards and away from Kiba and his dog. As Kiba got back up, he was met with a barrage of kicks and punches that forced him backwards and straight into a wall. Kiba had had enough and pulled a smoke bomb from his pouch and threw it at Lee, with Akamaru soon joining the fray as the pup attacked the mini Gai within the smoke. However, one "Yipe!" later, Lee emerged from the smoke with Akamaru standing a bit to the side, whimpering from getting hit in the face hard. Kiba growled as he shouted, "You bastard! No one does that to Akamaru!"

Kiba soon jumped and spun rapidly at Lee, who waited until the last second before dodging to deliver a powerful kick at the young Inuzuka's chin. Kiba was sent flying into the air by the kick with Lee soon following the same trajectory as the other Konoha Genin. Soon Lee's bandages trapped Kiba as he began to spin in the air and shouted as they neared the floor, "_Omote Renge_!"

Hayate, however, had seen enough and stopped Lee from finishing the attack. As both Genin got up, Hayate declared, "I declare Rock Lee the winner of the 10th match due to both the power and danger of that particular attack."

Kiba looked incredulously at Hayate, "WHAT!? BUT I COULD'VE-!!!"

Midori soon appeared beside her teammate and bopped him on the head, "You baka, you're lucky to be alive right now! If Lee-kun had finished that attack, you could've died the moment your thick head hit the concrete!"

Kiba looked at Hayate whom nodded, "I'm afraid she's right. I had to intervene or else."

Kiba sniffed as he picked up Akamaru and headed back up the stairs, muttering on how he could've won. Lee, however, was being congratulated by his sensei with the only way either knew how: by hugging each other as a sunset appeared behind them. Everyone just looked away and concentrated on the screen which was showing the next set of names:

_**Sabaku no Gaara vs. Hebimaru**_

Both Gaara and Hebimaru made their ways silently to the stage and looked at each other for a moment. Hebimaru's tongue soon darted in and out as he smiled cruelly, "**I sssuggessst you don't take me lightly, half-blood. I'm far more sssuperior to my now dead comrade, Hyoumaru.**"

Gaara just crossed his arms as he answered, "Only a weakling boasts about his skills."

Hebimaru frowned at the comment, but waited patiently as Hayate announced, "The 11th match of the Preliminaries: Sabaku no Gaara vs. Hebimaru! Hajime!"

Hebimaru didn't waste time as he charged Gaara, his fingernails extending to become six-inch claws. Gaara remained stationary as his sand leapt from his gourd and stopped the Yôkai from striking him. Hebimaru frowned, and somersaulted backwards while he retracted his claws. He then stood atop the giant hands that were in the arena and hissed, "**Ssso your sssand actsss asss a ssshield and protectsss you from anything that comesss too clossse to you…quite interesssting…**"

Gaara nodded, "Correct, however, you overlooked a minor detail…"

At Gaara's words, the sand shot forward forming into a lance-like appendage as it flew towards the Yôkai. Hebimaru stood still as he allowed the sand to shoot past him, only grazing his right cheek and letting some of his blood poured. Hebimaru licked his wound with his long tongue as he looked at Gaara, "**My missstake…it ssseemsss that your sssand isss alssso good at offensssive maneuversss asss well,**" Hebimaru smiled insanely, "**My apologiesss then for underessstimating you!**"

Suddenly Hebimaru was surrounded by purple chakra that soon flew to touch the ceiling of the arena. Everyone watch as Hebimaru reappeared in his true form: his skin had been replaced with sickly green scales that covered his entire body, even his hair seemed to be made of the strange scales. The irises in his eyes had completely gone white as the pupils had been replaced with two red slits. Hebimaru's hands, however, is what made everyone look at him: both hands had been replaced with two serpent heads that tasted the air with the same tongue that Hebimaru held in his mouth. His lower half had been replaced with the body of a giant python, and only the latter part of the tail surrounded the giant fingers.

Hebimaru soon had the same frown that he had had when Gaara had retorted at him for boasting, "**You mussst excussse me, Gaara-sssan, but sssince you were not mentioned in our misssion, I will have to kill you.**"

Gaara looked back at the giant Serpent Yôkai and calmly stated, "You may try."

Hebimaru's frown deepened at the comment, and he began to arch both of his arms back before he shot them forward. Gaara was mildly surprised as both of the arms extended and headed towards his head. Gaara's sand soon trapped both of Hebimaru's "hands" and crushed them before he let go of them. Hebimaru didn't seem to be perturbed by this and merely pulled back his arms and looked at them as they returned to a normal length. Everyone watch in surprise as both "hands" began to shift and then split at the base to become two heads that were identical to the ones that Gaara had destroyed. Hebimaru kissed one of the four "hands" as he stated, "**Unlike mossst Ssserpent Yôkai, I hold a very unique ability: if my handsss are ever crussshed by something or cut off, I can replaced them asss well asss double them. In other wordsss, every time you dessstroy one of my handsss, two more will grow in itsss place!**"

Gaara cocked his head to the side slightly as he asked, "And how will that help?"

Hebimaru grinned at Gaara, confusing the young Tanuki until he heard a hiss from the sand that was at his feet. Gaara jumped backwards as one of the heads he thought his sand had crushed bite into the place his leg had been. Hebimaru continued, "**And even if you do crusssh my handsss, I can regenerate them and then ussse them in any way I pleassse.**"

Gaara glared at the Yôkai as it smiled at him, and tossed his arms at the former Suna Genin. Gaara was soon forced to both parry and dodge Hebimaru's "hands" which seem to have a mind of their own, as they struck left and right. Gaara shot his sand at intervals towards the Yôkai, but Hebimaru used his "hands," tail, and arms to stop the sand from reaching anywhere near his body as well as using the attacks to increase the number of heads his "hands" gained.

Hebimaru laughed insanely as he asked, "**Tell me, Gaara-sssan, how are you going to defeat me!? I'm barely usssing all of my ssstrength and you have yet to get near me to land any ssseriousss blowsss!**"

Gaara said nothing as he continued to dodge or block attacks as well throw some of his own at the Serpent Yôkai. What Hebimaru didn't know was that behind him a small trail of sand was soon becoming a large wave of sand as he continued to scatter the attacks that Gaara had thrown at him. Hebimaru smiled as he cornered Gaara with his serpents and asked, "**Do you have any lassstsss wordsss, Gaara-sssan?**"

Gaara smirked as he answered, "Only this… _Sabaku Kyū_!"

Too late, Hebimaru noticed the sand behind him and was engulfed by it. He looked at Gaara with angry eyes as he shouted, "**You bassstard! I'll kill you!**"

The small snakes around Gaara leapt at him with their mouths open, only to be blocked by Gaara's sand as he stated, "This is my win…_Sabaku Sōsō_!"

Hebimaru and the serpents around Gaara both hissed in pain as the sand crushed the Serpent Yôkai into a black mush. Gaara and everyone else watched as one by one the smaller serpents died and became the same black mush that Hebimaru had become. Hayate, who was disgusted by the sight like a few of the people, soon found his voice as he proclaimed, "The winner of the 11th match: Sabaku no Gaara!"

Team Ienari and Gaara's siblings were the loudest in cheering Gaara as he walked towards the stairs, only to watch as they gasped. Gaara quickly turned around in time to see the black mush gather at the center of the stage before it formed into a giant black serpent-like slime, which hissed in Hebimaru's voice, "**YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!!!**"

The serpent-slime flew towards the young Han'yô at a speed that even Gaara's sand could not follow, and to everyone it seemed that Gaara was about to die. However, a wave of black soon appeared between them and swallowed the black slime before it hit Gaara, and formed into a large black bubble. Everyone watched as the black bubble shrank in size until it was the size of a golf ball and floated in place as a voice came from above, "**My, my…that was a close call, ne, Okashira?**"

Gaara looked up to see Sakenomi standing on the ceiling, grinning as he fell towards the floor and landed on his feet. Sakenomi then undid the cork of a small bottle and let the black bubble float into it before he plugged it again. He then pocketed the bottle and grinned as he replied, "**Sorry about being late, Okashira. I had to do some errands back home.**"

Gaara shook his head and smiled, "You could've at least told me when you were returning, Sakenomi."

Sakenomi laughed as he grabbed his sake jar and drank heavily, "**My bad, my bad! I'll remember next time!**"

Gaara laughed at that and patted Sakenomi on the shoulder, "Thanks for the save, I owe you one."

Sakenomi laughed even louder as he answered, "**Okashira, if you say stuff like that, you'll owe me 'till death!**" he then handed Gaara his sake jar as he shouted, "**So drink hard, Okashira, and forget about what happened!**"

Gaara took the jar, and after a moment, drank some of the sake inside of the jar in a single swing. Both Tanuki soon grinned like fools as they made their way back up the stairs as the board flashed the next names:

_**Akimichi Chouji vs. Dosu Kinuta**_

_**Author Notes:**_ (_**I'm also skipping this one as it ended up like in the manga and the anime**_)

As the Medic-Nin took Chouji away to recover, Midori and Karasumaru jumped down as they were the only Genin to have not fought. Midori stretched her arms up as she muttered, "Stupid board takes too long…"

Karasumaru nodded, "**I agree. Besides, this match is already decided anyway…**"

Midori grinned hearing those words, "Yeah, with me as the victor!"

Hayate nodded as he shouted, "The final match of the Preliminaries: Ongaku Midori vs. Karasumaru! Hajime!"

Midori charged at the Yôkai and spun once as she delivered a kick. Everyone watched as Karasumaru jumped into the air, and to everyone's amazement, stayed there. Karasumaru pulled a black feather from his pocket as he stated, "**As I said, this match was already decided when I entered the ring…I won't kill you since I'm not hungry, but I will only show this attack once to all here,**" Karasumaru threw the feather at Midori and made a single hand seal, "_**Tajū Hane Shuriken no Jutsu**_ (_**Mass Feather Shuriken Technique**_)!"

Suddenly the single feather became a hundred feathers and Midori was caught in a rain of the small projectile. She stood there for a few moments soon becoming almost a pincushion from the onslaught, but still held on. Midori breathed raggedly as she looked at Karasumaru, her arms, shoulders, and her legs covered in the black feathers that Karasumaru had thrown. The Crow Yôkai looked at Midori before it pulled out another feather from within his pocket, which then changed into a giant sickle. Karasumaru landed gently, before he disappeared from sight and only reappeared behind Midori. He tapped the end of the sickle onto the floor, and Midori cried in pain as a large gash appeared on her side.

Karasumaru sniffed as he hefted his sickle onto his shoulder, "**Call it proctor. If I continue, she may die from the wounds I would make her receive.**"

Hayate looked at Midori, who was gritting her teeth and holding the wound she had been inflicted. Midori soon stood up as she shouted, "Not yet! I will land one blow on you!"

Karasumaru sighed as he began to spin the giant sickle like a baton before he swept it in front of him. Midori cried out in pain as another gash appeared on her and was forced down. Karasumaru soon walked over to her, and gave her a hard kick on her wounds, causing Midori to cry in pain as she was sent backwards. She lay in the ground twitching as Karasumaru placed the blade of his sickle near her neck.

Hayate decided that was enough, "The winner of the final match of the Preliminaries: Karasumaru!"

Karasumaru snorted as he muttered, "**Finally…**" before he dispelled his sickle and walked away from Midori. Midori was then rushed to the hospital, passing her teammates and Hinata with a face that said, "I'm sorry I lost…" Kiba, Shino, and Hinata looked at the last of the Yôkai, whom merely ignored them as the winners lined up in front of the Hokage.

The Hokage surveyed the finalists and thought to himself, _Seven from Konoha, three from "Suna", one from Oto, and the last from Iwa (__**Stone**__)…this will be an interesting tournament._

Soon the Genin were allowed to draw numbers and were given an explanation over what the last part of the Exam was. As they separated, Josuke soon rushed over to Kenji and told his sensei what had happened during his match against the Leopard Yôkai. Kenji frowned as Josuke finished, "The weirdest part though was the fact that the voice referred to me as a key for it. I don't know why but whatever that stuff came from, it made my entire body feel like it was dipped in ice."

Kenji looked thoughtful over what Josuke had just told him, _If what Josuke said is true, then this is something far larger and more complicated than what I suspect…_

Kenji looked at his students as he told them, "I will tell this to the Hokage, in the meantime, you three visit your friends at the hospital and report back home in order to learn about your new teachers for the upcoming battles."

All three Genin nodded as they turned and headed towards the Konoha General Hospital. Kenji looked at Sakenomi, "Thank you for capturing that black liquid, Sakenomi. Now we can see if my fears are misplaced or not."

Sakenomi drank a bit from his bottle as he answered, "**No problem, Rakugosha-sama. Anyway, whatever it is that's bothering you, don' worry about it. You got the Tanuki and the Kitsune behind you all the way!**"

Kenji smirked at that and thanked the Yôkai for his reassuring words. Deep down, though, Kenji felt that the invasion would be more than just that and he feared that if he did not take action quickly enough, Konoha might perish under the attack of a being that had terrorized the Earth many years ago. A being that only he and the Kyuubi no Kitsune had stopped several eons ago from conquering all of the land by destroying the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (_**Grass Cutter Sword, also known as the **__**Ame-no-murakumo-no-tsurugi**__** Heaven's Cloud-Gathering Sword, a legendary sword that is the equivalent to Britain's Excalibur**_), the beast simply called Yamata-no-Orochi, the eight-tailed and eight-headed dragon.

**_END OF CHAPTER 6_**

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

**_And thus the Preliminaries close and the month of training begins! So now the Finals are coming up as well as the invasion! Will our Finalists get strong enough for the upcoming battles? Will Konoha be able to defeat Orochimaru and his invading forces? Just how old is Ienari Kenji/Rakugosha!? You'll have to tune in to find out! And now the Finalist battles:_**

**_1_****_st_****_ Match: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Dosu (Naruto wins, nuff said.)_**

**_2_****_nd_****_ Match: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Sabaku no Gaara (Just like the anime/manga, just without the postponing.)_**

**_3_****_rd_****_ Match: Kankuro vs. Aburame Shino (We actually get to see them fight this time!)_**

**_4_****_th_****_ Match: Temari vs. Shikamaru (We know how this one turned out.)_**

**_5_****_th_****_ Match: Hyuga Hinata vs. Karasumaru (Hinata-chan must avenge her fallen comrade!)_**

**_6_****_th_****_ Match: Ienari Josuke vs. Rock Lee (Makazeken versus Gôken…this one is going to be good.)_**

**_Okay, about the next chapter: it's going to skip around a lot. It will shift from the training of some of the Finalists, as well as doing a rather more romantic scene for all the Finalists (aside from Karasumaru, Dosu, Kankuro, Shino, and Sasuke). As to Sasuke, I'll be clear: I hate the guy point made and done. Only reason I'm writing is for Naruto to evolve in character and because otherwise the story wouldn't be Naruto (Damn him…). Another issue I will answer is this: Yes, Josuke did have sex with both girls. It's rated Mature for a reason after all. I just favored not writing on the details as most people get the idea of what happened. I also hope the fights were enjoyable for you guys._**

**_That's all for now! _**

**_Shidyk D. Shade_**


	7. NOTICE

Due to unforseen events that are out of my control, I will be unable to update any of my stories.

The matter is personal, and I will update only when it has been settled.

Thank you for your time and patience.

_**Shidyk D. Shade**_


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